The Beginning of the End
by lshd
Summary: The Team faces their biggest challenge when they find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Will their bonds grow stronger or will the circumstances finally tear them apart?
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I don't know if anyone remembers me...but I use to write here! Lol. I have no idea where all my time goes, but I'm stealing a little of it back to write this. Hope you enjoy! :)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kurt was exhausted, but couldn't sleep. It wasn't just the uncomfortable chair that was to blame. It was everything they'd just been through, that and the fact that his wife was currently out of his sight. He had a soul deep need to keep her within touching distance after the day they'd just had. He knew that wasn't feasible. It was obvious that someone had to keep watch while the rest of them caught up on their sleep, but he wasn't sleeping. He doubted any of the others were either.

He couldn't have imagined a circumstance that would have resulted in him ever taking hostages. He'd have been wrong. Shifting in the chair he tried to concentrate on the radio Patterson turned on hoping the mindless activity would allow him some respite.

Suddenly the transmission was interrupted. The high pitched drone made him wince.

"Do we have a green light?" Unexpectedly came clearly over the speaker.

Kurt knew what that meant.

"GET TO THE TUNNEL!" Patterson was already scrambling toward the hatch.

Kurt didn't second guess her instruction, but ripped the door open and watched her disappear inside. Tasha was pushed in before Reade.

Kurt looked toward the door, his focus more on his wife than on himself. He didn't know where she was…

"GO KURT!" Reade shoved him into the opening before following him down.

They barely made it into the hole before the hatch door closed and the world was ripped apart.

Reade was urging him down the dark tunnel and Tasha was calling back to them, but all he could think was _where was Jane?_ Had she been sitting on the porch? Hit by the debris? _Was she dead_?

The ground shook from the blast and looking through the darkness, Kurt realized he wouldn't know if his wife was alive as long as he was stuck down there, he immediately began to forge his way down the tunnel looking for an exit. Reade let go of his arm when he realized he wasn't going to have to keep him from going back into the inferno. Suddenly, there was a second rumbling and the tunnel began to cave in. Covering his mouth with his shirt Kurt watched helplessly as what was left of his family disappeared into the rubble.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane helplessly watched her world explode before her trembling legs lost their ability to stand. Sinking down she realized there was every chance she would be detected standing out in the open like she was. Expecting to join her family she waited welcoming the end. She couldn't go on without them. She couldn't imagine her life without Kurt. When nothing happened, she began to tremble. If they weren't going to kill her, then she was going to kill every one of them…she had nothing more to lose. Bethany's face flashed through her mind followed quickly by Avery. Avery was going to be okay and Bethany had her mom and stepdad. The truth was they would be better off without her. People close to her died…

Reade's accusations battered her shattered senses as she realized her family was dead because of her. What she'd brought to their door. Tears ran down her face and she wiped them away with an angry, trembling hand.

She needed to clear their names. She needed to make the people that had done this pay…

_It's easy to do good things when you're surrounded by good people_… Rich's words came back to her and she pushed herself up off the ground. She wasn't surrounded by good people, she only had herself now and she knew Reade was right because she was becoming more like herself with every beat of her shattered heart.

She began walking toward the now burning destruction. She no longer saw the flames. The only thing in her mind was Kurt's loving expression every time he looked at her and her trembling increased. Suddenly she began to run. She knew he was dead, none of them could have survived that blast…but she needed to be certain. There was a chance there would simply be nothing left…and the thought of never seeing or touching Kurt again…

She ignored the burning and made her way toward the center of the destruction. The heat singed her hair and her thick boots were the only thing that spared her feet. There was nothing left. Looking up at the sky she felt her emotions overwhelm her and the sound that came out of her mouth was barely human.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_It was taking too long_…Kurt knew with everything in him he needed to dig faster. By the time they were able to reach daylight at least twenty minutes had already passed.

He squeezed out of the narrow opening and reached back down to pull first Patterson and then Reade out. Reade was injured. At the very least his arm was broken. Tasha was scratched up and holding her ribs, but they were all alive. Even as he pulled Tasha out, his eyes were searching the landscape for his wife. He didn't see her. His heart was threatening to beat out of his chest.

Nobody commented on this distraction. They all understood.

"Go," Patterson urged him, "I've got this."

He didn't argue. Moving as quickly as his body would allow he headed back to where he'd last seen Jane. That's when he heard it. The anguished sound would haunt him, freezing he looked toward the sight of the cabin and that's when he saw her. She was standing in the middle of what appeared to be nothing but fire and destruction.

"Jane!" His roar had her head turning toward him in disbelief.

She shook her head as though she couldn't believe what her eyes were telling her.

Ignoring his injuries, Kurt began to run. _She was alive!_

Jane watched him for a moment before she realized he was real. Then her legs closed the distance between them with renewed strength.

They met and their bodies all but crashed together. Neither one of them noticed the discomfort. Kurt ran his hands over her desperately before he reached up and guided her tear stained face up for his inspection.

"Are you okay?" He worried.

"How?" Jane all but sobbed, "I don't understand…"

She laid her dirty hand against his face gently and appeared to be in shock.

"The radio picked up the order for the attack," Kurt explained.

"The others?" Jane looked around in concern.

"They're alive," Kurt assured her, "Are you hurt?"

Jane still didn't answer. In truth words were beyond her.

Reaching up she closed the distance between them. The loving, if worried, look on his face was too precious. He felt her lips tremble and his eyes closed even as his arms tightened around her and he took over. The kiss was reverence tinged with more than a little desperation. His hand went to the back of her head and he drew back just far enough to look down into her tear washed eyes. Leaning in he trailed his lips up her wet cheek and kissed first one and then the other.

"I'm right here," Kurt assured her, "I've got you."

He moved her hand over the reassuring beat of his heart before covering it with his own. Her trembling steadied as she felt the proof that he was alive and with her once more. The darkness that had been pulling her in receded. It was still there waiting for her, but with her husband's warmth surrounding her and her family supporting them she'd was steady again.

"We need to move," Tasha's voice came from behind them.

Looking over his shoulder, Kurt saw the rest of the team watching them with affectionate regret.

"She's right," Jane suddenly stiffened. "They're probably going to want to verify they got us. We can't be here when they come."

"Let's move," Kurt knew they had to go, but he couldn't seem to let his wife go.

With the battered team trailing behind them, Kurt led Jane away. He might not know where they were going or how they were going to get there, but they were together and that was enough for him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I think I found Rich," Patterson looked up from her monitor.

Jane moved in to lean over her shoulder, "Where?"

"He's on a boat…" Patterson looked up at Jane in concern.

Even after all of these months, looking at Jane was disconcerting. She looked nothing like the woman Patterson had known all of these years. The same could be said for any one of them, but somehow Jane was all the more…unnerving. It wasn't just the red hair, she'd changed her eye color with colored contacts and she'd surprised all of them by getting the tattoos removed from her hands, most of it anyway. It was a long process, but now with long sleeves, some quickly applied foundation and her longer hair, no tattoos were visible to anyone but Kurt.

"Has he been there the entire time?" Jane worried, her mind going back to her own time spent in a CIA Black Site.

"Since the day of the drone strike." Patterson confirmed.

"We need to go get him," Jane worried, "Any idea if he's the only prisoner?"

"No," Patterson denied, "I also don't know how many agents are posted with him."

"When will the others be back?" Jane worried.

"At least three more hours," Patterson insisted, "They won't risk coming straight back here and giving away our position."

"Can we contact them?" Jane asked in frustration.

"Not without risk." Patterson insisted.

"I could meet them," Jane offered.

"What's going on?" Patterson worried.

"It's just…" Jane hesitated, "I know what he's going through, the thought of leaving him there for even one more day…"

"Oh Jane," Patterson stood up and hugged her.

"Risking getting caught and joining him, isn't going to help anyone." Patterson reminded her, "Right now everyone thinks we're dead, we need for them to keep believing that."

"We can't just leave him there!" Jane protested.

"Of course not!" Patterson immediately agreed, "But we need to take the time to find out everything we can before we move. We're only going to get one chance we need to make that count."

"What can I do?" Jane asked.

"The boats docked within sight of the shore," Patterson told her, "I guess that makes it easier to come and go. Get supplies delivered so we need to start watching the boat and gathering intel. Shift change, guards, and weapons."

"I'm on it," Jane immediately stood up.

"I don't like you going alone," Patterson worried.

"I won't engage," Jane assured her, "I'll just watch."

"Well," Patterson argued, "They're going to be watching too."

"I'll figure something out," Jane assured her.

Watching her go Patterson frowned. She just hoped this wasn't a mistake.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rich braced himself for another day of torture.

They constantly asked him questions he either didn't know or wouldn't say. He wasn't worried about breaking, because after they'd told him that the rest of the team was dead, the only thing he had to live for was pissing them off. If it wasn't for the pain, which he sometimes kind of liked, he would almost be enjoying himself.

The one thing he wouldn't allow himself to dwell on was that he'd failed to save the team. Of all the various things he'd endured, that was the one thing that truly hurt. It was a good thing they didn't know him well enough to use that against him.

They wanted Dominic's phone. He'd die before he told them where he'd hidden it. He knew it didn't really matter anymore. Dying to clear the other's names seemed foolish, but damn if he'd let Madeline win again. He knew the second he told them, he'd be dead and the truth was that was starting to sound pretty good right now. He just couldn't bring himself to betray the team, even when they had nothing left to loose. Talk about sentimental drabble…yet still he remained silent. They'd ruined him. That was the only real answer.

"Dot Com," The guard taunted him from his cell door, "Did you miss me?"

"Not really," Rich denied, "You hit like a girl."

The blow knocked him off his feet.

"What was that?" The guard asked him.

"Let me revised that," Rich conceded, "I've known some women that could really kick ass, you hit like my elderly mother."

The next blow was just as predictable. That's one of the things he missed most, Patterson. He could outthink just about any one of these goons, but Patterson she'd kept him on his toes. He immediately pushed that thought right out of his mind. He couldn't go back, not now when he needed every ounce of strength he had to make it through another endless round of useless chatter intermingled with pain. It was an exercise in endurance and he'd surprised even himself with his ability to withstand as much abuse as he had.

"I don't know why you're putting yourself through all of this," The guard walked around him, "We're going to find it."

"You couldn't find your ass." Rich scoffed.

The blow took his breath away.

"Maybe I'm asking the wrong person, maybe Boston knows where it is." The guard taunted.

"Yeah, I haven't even spoken to Boston in like three months. Clearly that's the answer." Rich refused to let them see just how alarmed he was. The last thing he needed to do was give them something to use against him. "If you bring him in, could you ask him what he did with my purple shirt? It was one of my favorites and I know he donated to charity just to piss me off…"

"You know," The guard was obviously getting frustrated, "I don't understand the loyalty people seem to have to a known terrorist."

"I'm hardly loyal to Madeline Burk," Rich scoffed.

"I'm talking about Remi Briggs," The guard walked behind Rich and stopped.

"Jane Doe," Rich automatically corrected, "Who else is loyal to her? I'm not the only prisoner here on the _Love Boat_?"

The guard stopped talking and Rich couldn't help but tense in anticipation.

"Did you really think you were able to completely dismantle Sandstorm?" The Guard decided he liked this game. Rich was finally talking. He might not be answering the questions they wanted, but if he kept him talking he was bound to let something slip.

"Yeah," Rich didn't doubt they had.

"What about Cade?"

"Jane shot him." Rich insisted.

"And still he's loyal to her." The Guard scoffed.

"He's here?" Rich asked in surprise.

"He's not the only one."

"Yeah?" Rich was already plotting, "I thought everyone else was dead."

"Bordon isn't."

"I actually don't think that was his real name…" Rich taunted, "How could you not know that, I thought you're whole reason for being was to extract information."

That hit made his head swim.

"You should be careful," The guard taunted him, "You aren't even in the top three prisoners here."

"Who could possibly be more important than me?" Rich knew they thought they were interrogating him, but he was the one getting all the answers.

"Just about everyone." The guard couldn't resist the taunt. Rich Dot Com was too arrogant. He thought too much of himself.

"That's just hurtful," Rich scoffed, "As much time as you spend with me, I would have thought I was your number one."

"I guess you don't know everything after all…" The guard took great pleasure in taunting him.

"Why would you bother gathering us all together here?" Even with his head swimming from the blows, he knew this information was critical.

When the guard remained silent Rich finally realized the truth, "Jane's alive!"

"You don't know what you're talking about." The guard tried to back pedal.

"The only reason you would get all of Remi's closest allies together in one place was because she got away and you're trying to find her!" Rich insisted with more than a little glee.

"Shut up!" The guard no longer thought this game was fun.

"Oh, man," Rich shook his head, "You are soooo dead."

"You really think one woman has a chance against the entire CIA?" The guard scoffed.

"This one does," Rich insisted, "And if any one of you has killed any of her team…especially Weller, you are going to die hard."

The guard abruptly ended the interrogation. Watching the door close behind him, a first abbreviated afternoon beating wasn't the reason Rich was smiling. Jane was alive and she would be coming for him, he could hardly wait.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane pulled the floopy hat low on her head. Being a red head at the beach had its advantages. Nobody questioned why she was covered from head to toe. She walked the shoreline for a little while before sinking down on the sand and covertly watching the boat docked so close to shore.

If Rich was on there they needed to gather as much intel as they could so they could extract him ASAP.

She didn't see anyone on the deck and even as she began roasting in the hot sun, she didn't move. It was such minor discomfort in comparison to what she knew was happening on that boat.

She stiffened when someone walked over and sat down beside her.

Turning her head she felt her tension melt away when she met her husband's worried look.

"You're back early," She said in relief, reaching for his hand.

"No," Kurt denied, "You've been sitting her for hours."

"What?" Jane looked over at him in shock.

"I know why this is so important to you," Kurt's thumb rubbed over her hand soothingly, "But you need to leave before someone onboard notices you sitting here."

Jane leaned over to kiss him, "I'm sorry…I didn't realize I'd been here that long."

Kurt stood up and helped her to her feet. He pulled her against him gently.

"I understand," He assured her, "But we need to go now."

"Nobody's come or gone since I got here," Jane felt his arm go around her as they made their way back the way they'd come.

"Patterson tapped Reade to install a camera on the pole near the boardwalk. We'll be able to watch the boat without making anyone suspicious." Kurt soothed her.

"I just…can't leave him there when I know exactly what he's going through." Jane whispered.

"We aren't going to," Kurt insisted, "But rushing in and getting him or anyone of us killed isn't the answer."

Jane rested her head against his shoulder as they walked.

Kurt turned and gently kissed her forehead.

Looking down into her now blue eyes, Kurt smiled reassuringly.

"Were you able to send Allie the message?" Jane worried.

"Yeah," Kurt assured her, "She left us this."

Jane looked over as he pulled a picture out of his pocket.

Little B had drawn him another picture. This one was of just the three of them on the beach. Jane smiled as she saw that even her tattoos had been included.

"Wow, pretty good!" Jane smiled.

"Allie said she's missing us." Kurt worried.

"It's a good thing Patterson was able to establish secure communications so that you could still video chat her regularly." Jane said with a worried frown.

"What's with the long face?" Kurt worried.

"I can't believe this happened, just when we were talking of going back to Colorado." Jane felt her lips tremble. It was so unfair. Kurt just wanted to be a father to his little girl and now he couldn't even hold her in his arms.

"We're going to fix this," Kurt assured her his voice determined, "And at least this time we're in hiding together."

Jane smiled up at him gently, "I love you."

"I love you too," He kissed the end of her nose.

"I kind of like your longer hair," She admitted.

"What about the color?" Kurt asked her.

"Dark hair suits you, but you're kind of hot…so anything would suit you."

"You don't say?" he smiled down at her with a genuine smile. Those smiles were so rare lately that she was transfixed.

"Now that Patterson has eyes on the boat," Jane looked up at him with a teasing glint, "Maybe when we get back you can help me wash some of the sand off."

"Yes ma'am," Kurt assured her his hand falling low on her back, "I've got you."

"Yes," Jane assured him, "And I've got you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rich was startled awake when he heard an explosion followed by rapid fire. She was here! He couldn't prevent the smile that transformed his battered face. Wincing as his split lip protested he ignored the pain and reached under his pallet on the floor until he found what he was looking for. It only took a few moments to get the cuffs off.

He knew she was coming for him, but he didn't want her to think she was saving him. She was, but he didn't want her to think she was… Moving over to the door he listened. When everything remained silent, he began to work on that lock. Before he could get it, the knob began to turn from the outside.

Stepping hastily back into the shadows he waited to see if death or freedom was coming.

"Rich?" The voice that called to him wasn't the one he was expecting…

Rushing forward he doubted his own eyes. She sounded like Patterson, but she didn't look like her. The short pixie brown haircut made her look like a little elf!

"Patterson?!" He all but gasped.

"Rich!" Patterson quickly moved further into the room, "We need to get out of here."

Suddenly she was enveloped in a crushing hug.

"They told me you were dead!" He protested.

"So far as they know," Patterson explained, "I am."

"You came for me," He said sentimentally as he followed her over to the door.

"Don't let it go to your head," Patterson insisted.

"Are the others….?" Rich asked hesitantly.

"Holding off reinforcements," Paterson explained.

"Weller, Jane, Reade and what's her name?" Rich confirmed.

"Tasha," Patterson said in exasperation, "You know her name is Tasha and yes they're all here."

"Wait!" Rich stopped abruptly, "I'm not the only prisoner!"

"We aren't breaking everyone out," Patterson insisted.

"They have Nigel and Cade here," Rich explained.

"What?" Patterson was clearly stunned.

"They know Jane's alive," Rich hissed, "They're trying to find her by getting information on where she might go from her old associates."

Patterson hesitated. That did change things. Jane was using Remi's old resources and if either Nigel or Cade broke, it would be a way to trace them. She couldn't leave them here, but she knew just how dangerous both men were. She didn't exactly have a holding cell to transfer them into and she couldn't just let them go free…

"Contact the others," Rich encouraged her, "See what we should do…"

"I don't have any coms," Patterson reminded him impatiently, "We aren't here as FBI…"

"Just release them and let them go!" Rich insisted.

"We need to get them," Patterson reluctantly conceded.

Rich didn't comment on her decision. She'd come for him and he would follow her anywhere.

Suddenly Jane came down the steps, "Let's go!" She called over.

Rich blinked a couple of times, but the woman before him still sounded like Jane, but looked like a stranger. How hard had they hit him?

"Jane?" Rich confirmed.

"Not now Rich," She said with tone.

It was definitely Jane…Rich ignored the pain as he rushed forward and picked her up clear off the floor.

"I knew you were coming for me," He told her.

"Don't let it go to your head," Jane warned him.

"Why does everyone keep saying that? You know you love me," He insisted, "How could you resist this?"

Seeing his battered but hopeful expression, Jane hugged him back, "I did miss you."

His eyes jerked over to Patterson, "Are you sure this is Jane?"

"I'm sure," Patterson was watching the two of them with an indulgent expression, "But we have the bigger picture here."

"They have Nigel and Cade," Rich explained to her.

"What?" Jane hadn't expected to hear that.

"They know you're alive," Rich explained, "They're trying to get information from known associates."

"We need to get them," Patterson insisted.

"Both of those men have a reason to want us dead," Jane reminded Patterson.

"They've been here for weeks," Rich told her, "And haven't told them anything."

"They haven't known anything," Patterson reminded him.

"How do you know they haven't been talking?" Jane demanded.

"Oh, please," Rich argued, "You think I don't know what's going on around here? I might have been a prisoner, but when has that ever stopped me from gathering information?"

"He has a point," Patterson reluctantly admitted.

"She said I was right!" Rich looked over at Jane with a triumphant expression.

"I said no such thing," Patterson denied.

"I was tortured for months without giving you up and you can't even agree that I was right?" Rich demanded in outrage.

"Fine," Patterson scowled at him, "You're right."

"I'm right," Rich looked over at Jane with a big grin.

"Let's go," She turned away from the squabbling pair. She would never say it out loud, but she was relieved at Rich's apparent normal behavior. She'd come out of the CIA black site changed forever. It probably helped that they'd come for him. Would things have been different if someone had come for her? Shaking her head at these dark thoughts, she tried to focus on the present.

Suddenly Kurt was coming down the stairs.

"You okay?" He worried looking at her serious expression.

Looking up into his worried face she let the past go. He'd come for her now, of that she had no doubt.

"We're good." Jane assured him, "Nigel and Cade are here."

"Why?" Kurt looked perplexed.

"They know Jane's alive and are trying to find her," Rich piped up.

Looking past Jane's shoulder Kurt took in Rich's battered expression.

"You okay?" He worried.

"You….shaved!" Rich all but accused him.

"It grows back," Patterson teased him.

"But…" For the first time Rich looked truly distressed.

"What's taking so long?" Reade called from the deck.

When Reade's full beard and long hair appeared in the opening Rich looked over at Patterson and demanded, "What kind of alternative universe is this? Did I die and this is my version of hell or what?"

"Rich," Patterson chided, "Reade looks…"

"Like he's homeless," Rich hissed, "Is what's her name a boy now?"

Just then Tasha appeared behind Reade, "Are we trying to get caught?"

Seeing her chin cropped blond hair, Rich just stared.

"Is he okay?" Tasha demanded.

"I…" Rich cleared his throat, "All good."

"I know how you feel," Reade assured him, gesturing him to precede him.

"What?" Tasha demanded.

"Same attitude," Rich whispered to Reade.

"That's the best part," Reade insisted.

"Sure," Rich rolled his eyes.

"We need to release Nigel and Cade," Jane warned the others.

"They're here?" Reade demanded.

"They know Jane's alive," Rich explained, "They're using her old contacts to try and find her."

"We can't take them with us," Tasha protested.

"We can't let them go!" Reade argued.

"We don't have any other choice," Kurt insisted, "If they roll over on Jane, we lose her old contacts."

"Fine," Reade didn't look happy.

When Patterson turned toward the other cells, Jane stopped her.

"Let me." She argued.

"They might not like you very much." Patterson worried.

"All the more reason," Jane insisted.

"Jane and I will release the other prisoner's and catch up with you," Kurt insisted.

"You want us to just go?" Patterson protested.

"I don't want you to have to stay," Jane explained gently.

"I'm not leaving any one of you behind," Patterson insisted, "Plus, what if they try to kill you?"

"Then we wouldn't have to worry about catching them again," Reade pointed out.

"Not funny," Jane scowled.

"Do it," Kurt insisted, "We don't have much time."

Jane walked over to the first door. She inserted the key and hesitantly turned the lock. Expecting the door to burst open she shared a puzzled look with Kurt when it didn't move. Opening it she looked into the dark room expecting the worst. Cade was sitting on the floor, chains around his wrists. He didn't even look up when they entered the room.

"Cade?" She called softly.

Nothing.

Moving closer she looked over at Kurt in dismay.

"Cade?" She placed her hand on his shoulder.

Just that quickly he moved. Her feet were swept out from under her and Cade reached for her throat. Before he could get her he seemed to become aware of his surroundings.

"Remi?" He demanded in shock.

Kurt didn't waste any time seeing what he did next. Placing himself between his prone wife and her attacker he kicked Cade backward.

"You want us to leave you here?" Kurt demanded.

"NO!" Cade denied.

Jane went to re-approach him more cautiously.

Kurt stopped her. She passed him the keys.

Cade didn't look away from Jane while Kurt unlocked his cuffs.

"What are you doing here?" Cade demanded, "You know they're looking for you."

"We came for Rich," Jane admitted.

"I'm hardly surprised you aren't here for me," Cade stood up.

"We didn't know you were here," Jane denied, "When we found out we came for you."

"What now?" Cade asked them.

"You can go," Jane encouraged.

"Where?" Cade scoffed.

"Wherever you want," Jane insisted.

Cade turned away before stopping, "They're looking for you."

"Well, I'm coming for them," Jane replied.

"I want in," Cade told her.

"What about your family…your son?" Jane demanded.

"It's been too long," Cade insisted, "They must think I'm dead. I can never go home, they'll find me there and I'm not willing to destroy my family's lives by uprooting them to run with me."

"No," Kurt denied.

"I can help," Cade insisted.

"Can we discuss this off this boat?" Rich demanded from the doorway, "You know reinforcements are coming."

Jane and Kurt didn't argue any further. Once they joined the others in the hallway, they found Nigel already standing with the others.

"I knew you were alive," Nigel told her holding his arm against his chest. His face was battered and blood had run down his neck from his ear.

"Let's go," Kurt looked over at Patterson in concern.

Her stoic look only worried him further.

Rich was glaring at Nigel even as he turned toward the stairs.

The team made it off the boat without intervention. It was Patterson's idea not to come from the land, but from the sea. It was the only way they could ensure that their change in appearance would remain undetected.

Patterson grabbed the device she'd used to generate the EMP that fried their systems. The last thing she wanted to do was leave evidence behind.

"Is that my EMP design?" Rich asked.

"I modified it," Patterson denied.

"What? You changed the color?" Rich reached for it, but Patterson dropped it into the backpack and zipped it up with a glare.

"So you could say I had a hand in saving myself," Rich insisted.

"I'm going to throw you overboard," Tasha warned him.

"Yeah," Rich looked over at her, "I thought you looked pretty hot when I saw you, but nothing is worth this."

When Tasha just glared at him he turned to Jane, "How could you let him shave?"

Jane's head fell back against Kurt's shoulder and his arm tightened around her waist.

"Maybe we should focus on getting out of here," Kurt suggested, "Unless you want to return to your cell."  
"Now there's no need to be grumpy," Rich denied, "Has anyone contacted Boston? Now that I've escaped, they might try to use him to find me."

"He went into hiding right after the man hunt for us went public," Patterson denied, "I couldn't even find him."

"You think he's with Chet?" Rich worried.

"I have no idea," Patterson denied.

"I hate Chet," Rich insisted, "It would be just like him to be sitting on some beach with Chet while I'm being tortured by the CIA!"

Knowing how Rich got when he was on a roll Reade interrupted his tirade, "I'm sure he's just lying low."

"Yeah," Rich agreed, "Chet's a weenie. He'd never help Boston hide from the CIA!"

"Focus Rich," Jane insisted scanning the water for anyone chasing them.

"Does anyone want to explain exactly what's going on?" Nigel asked pragmatically.

"The Government tried to kill us with a drone." Jane explained, "Now they think the teams dead and I'm a fugitive wanted by the FBI."

"For what exactly?" Nigel demanded.

"We were trying to bring down Madeline Burke and HCI Global, but she has money and influence. She was able to leverage the FBI." Jane explained.

"This is what made you a fugitive to begin with," Nigel noted, "So it all starts again…"

"Well," Jane agreed, "You could say I'm not a big fan of the drone program."

"I never thought I'd see the day that Kurt Weller would be a wanted felon," Nigel shook his head.

"I'm fighting corruption," Kurt insisted, "Not the Government."

"Isn't that the same thing?" Nigel asked him, "You can gloss it up, but this is how it all starts."

"I'm not going to end up like you," Kurt insisted.

"The only difference between you and me," Nigel insisted, "Is that your wife is still alive. If Jane had been killed in that attack you might not feel the same way."

Kurt's arm tightened around Jane. He didn't argue any further, because he knew what Nigel said was true. If Jane had been killed…he would never be the same.

"Well, as much fun as the first time was," Nigel said with irony, "I want out."

"Where are you going to go?" Jane worried.

"As far away from you as I can get," Nigel admitted.

"This isn't Jane's fault!" Patterson all but yelled.

"I never said it was," Nigel chided, "But unlike you I've already been on this ride. It's not going to end well."

"Not even for a chance at freedom?" Reade asked him.

"You can't even guarantee that for yourselves," Nigel reminded him, "How can I trust any of you anyway?"

"You can't trust us?" Tasha couldn't remain silent any longer.

"Don't lie," Cade warned her, "You turned your back on the deal with me."

Tasha couldn't deny it.

"That's what I'm talking about," Nigel insisted, "This won't end until you're killed. You can't beat them and they won't ever stop."

"We _can_ beat them," Kurt insisted.

"How?" Cade demanded, "You follow your rules and they have no rules. How can you possibly ever win?"

"If we become like them," Jane argued, "We can't win, but if we stay the course and stop them…"

"Even with all of your memories back you still believe justice will prevail. Sometimes the bad guys win." Nigel insisted.

"Only if the good guys do nothing," Kurt answered for Jane.

"The only one that thinks you're the good guys is you," Nigel reminded them.

"Well," Jane insisted, "If we stop believing in what we're doing, then we have a bigger problem."

"Fine," Nigel just looked at them, "I'll help you, but only because dying is better than going back to the CIA."

Jane turned her face away from Nigel. She couldn't argue with that.

Kurt felt her tremble and pulled her more fully against him. He'd seen her face when she approached Cade. He knew her mind was right back in that cell. He wanted to reassure her, but had no words to make any of this even remotely better.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked her sometime later.

"I'm fine," Jane immediately replied.

Kurt just looked at her.

"It's just…" Jane all but whispered.

"The Black site," Kurt finished for her.

"It brought back some… not so great memories." Jane admitted.

"You are _never_ going back there," Kurt tried to reassure her.

"No," Jane agreed, "I'm not. I would die before I let them take me again."

"No," Kurt denied, "I would die before they take you away from me again."

Jane looked up into Kurt's earnest expression and felt some of her pain recede.

"Rich seems….so normal. Well, for him anyway." Jane ran her hand down Kurt's face absently. "When I came out of that hole…I was far from normal."

Remembering the closed off woman who had fought so hard to remain free, Kurt suddenly realized how telling it was that Jane hadn't shot him when they'd found her at that motel. She'd been completely desperate and facing the thought of going back to the Black Site and she still hadn't killed him to get away. She might be willing to die to stay out of that Black Site, but even when they'd been at their lowest point, she hadn't been willing to kill him to save herself.

"Jane…." Kurt ran his lips over her face gently.

"What?" She pulled back to look up at him in concern. The pain on his face took her total focus.

"I was looking for you," Kurt insisted, "I would have come for you."

Jane closed her eyes to hide the tears his words had evoked. How did he always know what she needed?

"I…" She didn't know what to say.

"Even when I didn't trust you, I was determined to get you back. If I had known what you were going through…" Kurt could hardly go on.

"It's okay," Jane insisted, "I survived."

"It's not okay," Kurt denied, "It will never be okay, but I will do whatever it takes to keep it from happening again."

Jane leaned in to meet Kurt's lips with her own. She suddenly realized that she wasn't the only one carrying scars from her time with the CIA. Kurt carried his own. For a man used to protecting others, losing her on his watch must have devastated him. Finding out what happened to her had only added to the burden he was carrying.

"I don't blame you," Jane told him, meeting his eyes directly.

"Well, that's one of us," Kurt rested his forehead against hers.

"Kurt," Jane ran her hands through his longer hair and turned his face up to her, "I got myself into all of that. My choices. You can't rewrite the past."

"But I can do whatever it takes to ensure our future," Kurt looked completely invested.

"Our future. I like the sound of that. We'll fight for it together." Jane reminded him.

"Together." Kurt agreed before closing the distance between them.

Jane fell into Kurt's embrace. She needed this closeness to push away the dark memories that were constantly trying to invade her mind. He knew that of course. He knew her better than anyone…


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You left it in the duct work of the NYO?" Patterson repeated.

"Well," Rich reminded her, "I didn't exactly have time to leave and find a more convenient location."

"How did they not find it there?" Tasha demanded.

"Well I didn't exactly place it where I was sitting," Rich defended himself.

"Where did you put it?" Jane asked him.

"In the duct above where I was sitting," Rich said defensively.

"Okay," Reade tried to be the voice of reason, "Regardless of the lame ass place Rich hid the phone, let's concentrate on how we get it now?"

"Hey," Rich protested.

"We can't just march into the NYO and get it," Kurt rubbed his neck while he listened.

"What about going back in through the basement?" Jane suggested,

"I had all of that sealed off when I became Assistant Director," Reade admitted.

"Kurt do you know of any other way in?" Jane turned to him.

"No," He denied.

"Why don't you get someone from inside to bring it out to you?" Cade suggested.

"Who?" Patterson looked at him blankly.

"You must have had some allies inside the NYO, you were in charge of the entire office for years." He reminded them.

"Now Madeline has an office there and last I heard she was replacing anyone she considered a threat." Patterson denied.

"Who'd you hear that from?" Kurt was looking at her with a frown.

"I….might have piggy backed into the secure server and made contact with Afreen." Patterson admitted.

"What?" Reade was looking at her in disbelief.

"Calm down," Patterson insisted, "She didn't know it was me."

"Who does she think it was?" Rich asked her.

"Oversite," Patterson said somewhat shamed face.

"She told that to a stranger?" Jane looked surprised.

"I was a very understanding stranger," Patterson insisted.

"I'm sure you were practically Mother Teresa," Reade said sarcastically.

"I think you've been hanging around what's her name too long," Rich told him, "You're kind of snarky."

Kurt and Jane shared a look of amusement. It was though little moments throughout the day that kept them going. Their connection was like a security blanket that warmed their soul.

"Rich," Reade said with long suffering patience.

"Just saying," Rich insisted, "And what's with this crappy system?"

"We no longer have FBI resources," Patterson reminded Rich.

"Why didn't you just buy a better setup?" He asked her, "It's not like you can't afford it."

"The FBI seized my assets when they accused me of being a terrorist." Patterson growled. This was clearly a sore subject for her.

"Did they?" Rich asked with a little grin.

"What'd you do?" Patterson asked him suspiciously.

"I might…" Rich could hardly wait to tell her, "Might….have transferred your fortune to an undetectable, overseas account before they arrested me."

"What if we'd been able to stop them?" Tasha demanded.

"I would have given it back," Rich said almost convincingly. "Plus I still have that nest egg of coin, we can definitely afford a better system than this!"

Patterson began to smile. "I forgive you for leaving the phone inside the NYO."

"Thank you," Rich looked over at the others with a haughty expression, "See that's how you appreciate someone."

"Before we get too excited," Reade warned them, "We better make sure they weren't able to trace where he put it from his computer. You know they did a complete forensic work up after he was arrested."

"Oh, please," Rich scoffed, "Like there is anyone left over there that's as good as I am…"

It took him only moments to confirm the money was still where he'd left it.

"There you go," He turned the computer toward Patterson.

"It's all there," She looked up at the others with renewed hope. With Jane's contacts and these funds their chances had just gone up.

"Good job!" Tasha reluctantly conceded.

Rich preened.

"Who else is left over at the NYO besides Afreen?" Kurt asked.

"Not very many of our old crew," Patterson admitted, "Breanna is still there, but that's about it."

"Wait," Reade protested, "They kept Breanna? That doesn't make any sense. She was one of the few people that were directly involved in our attempt to bring down Madeline, I would think she'd be one of the first people they got rid of."

"Unless she was compromised," Jane suggested.

"You think she worked with Madeline to infiltrate the FBI?" Reade demanded.

"She had to have some people on the inside," Jane insisted, "Rich said that Kurt's gun was used to kill a lot of people at the power plant. None of Madeline's associates had access to that weapon. Breanna's already proven that she caves under pressure. She did give Sheppard the code to override the system when threatened…"

"But we gave her another chance," Reade protested.

"She was kind of complaining that she hadn't had a raise in years and couldn't even afford a car…" Patterson reluctantly admitted.

"Maybe we should pay her a little visit." Rich suggested.

"I'll go," Jane immediately offered, "Nobody knows that the team is alive. I'd like to keep it that way."

"No," Kurt denied, "You can't go by yourself."

"I'll go with her," Rich offered, "They know I'm alive and it would make sense since Jane just liberated me from a Black site."

"Fine," Kurt relented, "But we'll be right outside."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Breanna sat at the kitchen counter with a bottle of alcohol on the counter before her. This was all her fault. She never would have believed that stealing Weller's gun could have led to the entire fall of the NYO branch of the FBI. She should have gone to Reade…

Her eyes welled up with tears as she thought about the team she betrayed. They'd spent their life risking themselves to save others and she'd sold them out. They were dead because of her. She couldn't fix this and now she had a front row seat to the destruction she'd unwittingly put into motion.

Even Weitz was helpless to do anything. She didn't know what they had on him, but she recognized the look in his eyes when he looked at Madeline. He hated her. He'd even stop promoting himself to get ahead. Nobody still left at the NYO was the same. She took another drink.

"If I didn't know better I would think you're trying to forget something," Jane's voice came from behind her.

Breanna jerked to look behind her. Jane and Rich were watching her with long expressions.

"Oh Jane," Breanna began to cry, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know any of this was going to happen."

Jane and Rich shared a look at how easily Breanna caved.

"What'd you do?" Rich asked her.

"I was contacted by someone the morning the power grid was sabotaged. He was offering me things if I helped him, but I said NO!" Breanna admitted.

"That's not the end of it?" Jane confirmed.

"No," Breanna admitted, "He sent me a picture of my parents, said that if I didn't help him, he could hurt them."

"Why didn't you tell Reade?" Rich demanded.

"I panicked," Breanna admitted, "He told me to break into Weller's and Jane's apartment and get Weller's gun."

"You did?" Jane confirmed.

"Yes," Breanna dropped her head in defeat, "I can't believe that one stupid thing could lead to all of this!"

"It wasn't just that," Jane reluctantly conceded, "It was just one more nail in our coffin."

"The team…" Breanna began crying in earnest.

Jane didn't reassure her. The last thing she wanted was for someone that had already been compromised twice to become aware that the team was alive.

"We need your help now," Jane told her.

"So…you're not just here to kill me?" Breanna sounded surprised.

"No," Jane denied, "I need to get into the NYO."  
"Why?" Breanna looked puzzled.

"I want to clear the team's name." Jane admitted.

"Can I just get what you need?" Breanna asked her.

"Yeah," Rich was looking at Jane with a serious expression, "Can't she just get what we need?"

"No," Jane denied. She didn't trust Breanna not to unwittingly give up their biggest resource. They needed Dominic's phone or they'd never be able to clear their names.

"You are the most recognizable person that has ever worked at the NYO," Brianna reminded her, "How do you expect me to get you inside the building without being detected."

Jane had removed her contacts and put her red hair up into a cap. She looked as much like Jane Doe as she'd ever been.

"I'm not asking you how to get inside," Jane insisted, "I'm asking if you're willing to help us."

"Of course!" Breanna said immediately, "And I know I'm not the only one that feels that way. There are people still left inside the building that know what's going on."

Rich was really glad he turned on a scrambler before Brianna realized they were here. He was pretty sure her apartment was probably bugged.

"We should probably not talk here," Rich told Jane.

"We should probably not talk anymore," Jane agreed, "We need to go right now."

"Where?" Breanna stood up a little unsteady.

"The NYO," Jane told her.

"But…" Brianna hesitated.

"I thought you said you would help us," Jane grabbed her arm and began to herd her over to the door.

"We can't just march into the New York Branch of the FBI without some kind of plan." Brianna argued.

"I just need for you to get me inside," Jane assured her, "I'll do the rest."

"I think we should talk about this," Rich protested, looking at Jane with a worried expression.

"You can talk all you want on the way," Jane told him.

"We need to make a stop," Rich conceded defeat, "But don't worry, it's in route."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Want to tell me what the hell you're doing?" Kurt demanded from the door of the storage unit.

"I'm going after Dominic's phone," Jane explained.

"We don't know if we can trust Breanna," Kurt walked over to her and placed his hands on her hips.

"All the more reason to do this tonight," Jane insisted, "She doesn't have time to warn anyone what we're doing."

"What if she walks you to the guard desk and tells them who you are?" Kurt worried.

"I can take the two guards if I have to," Jane assured him, "If that happens we'll have to abort."

"No," Kurt denied, "You aren't doing this alone."

"You can't come," Jane denied, "Breanna thinks the team is dead. We don't want that information getting out, if you try to come with me, she'll know."

"What if she takes you down and waits until your inside before disclosing that it's you?" Kurt demanded.

"Then you're being there won't change anything," Jane argued.

"Why tonight?" Kurt demanded, "Why not wait until we have a plan?"

"We don't know if we can trust Breanna," Jane insisted, "Right now we know she hasn't contacted anyone…if we wait they can come up with a plan too."

"We'll have to do this some other way," Kurt refused to relent.

"I know you're missing Bethany," Jane argued, "This gets us one step closer to getting to see her again."

"Don't do that," Kurt shook his head, "Yes, I want and need to see Bethany, but I'm not willing to risk losing you to do that."

"This isn't just about us," Jane reminded him, "The rest of the team is affected too."

"Jane…."

"Kurt…"

"Adorable," Rich said from behind them.

"Where's Breanna?" Jane demanded.

"I locked her in the trunk of the car," Rich explained.

"What?" Kurt demanded.

"She understood," Rich insisted, "She knows she betrayed the team, she seems to be willing to do whatever we want."

"Seems," Kurt emphasized.

"I've tried to make Jane see reason," Rich insisted.

"This is the best shot we have," Jane wouldn't be swayed.

"I'm in," Cade came in the door behind Rich.

"What are you doing here?" Jane asked in surprise.

"Rich notified the team of what you have planned." Cade explained, "I wouldn't exactly say any of them are excited by the prospect of you dying. Go figure."

"Problem solved," Jane turned back to Kurt, "Cade will go with me."

"Yeah," Kurt didn't seem convinced, "It's not like either of you are known felons."

"We've worked on missions together before," Cade assured Kurt.

"You haven't infiltrated the FBI together," Kurt reminded him.

"No," Cade agreed, "I believe our last mission together before she was ziped was to infiltrate Army Intelligence, alter their orders to invade a small country off the coast of Africa."

"What?" Kurt looked over at Jane in shock.

"We now have a small military base stationed there," Jane admitted reluctantly.

"You instigated an invasion of a small country?" Rich demanded impressed.

"It's not as bad as it sounds," Jane insisted.

"It's exactly like it sounds," Cade denied, "We've got this."

Kurt didn't have a response to that.

"I'm going with you," He insisted.

"Kurt we don't have time to argue this," Jane pleaded.

"No," Rich agreed, "We don't. I have just the solution."

Kurt watched him rummage around in one of the boxes until he came up with the mask Patterson had worn to escape the NYO.

"No," Kurt denied immediately.

"You want to go or not?" Rich asked him.

Kurt reached for the disguise with a scowl at the mirth Jane was unable to hide.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"They changed the security parameters after they finished all the personnel transfers." Breanna explained as the elevator descended.

"Are you going to get into trouble helping us?" Jane asked her.

"Hopefully nobody will ever know," Breanna insisted. She stopped the elevator mid floor. Kurt pushed open the roof hatch and pulled himself up. Once he was on top he reached back down for Jane. She joined him. Cade didn't wait for assistance, but joined them easily.

"We don't know where exactly Rich hid the phone," Jane explained to the two men. "We know it was in the storage room, but there are no maps of the ventilation system. We need to be quick and thorough."

"How do we notify each other if one of us finds it?" Cade asked her.

"Patterson has used her back door access into the system to monitor their security cameras. We all have burner phones and she's going to pass on the news when we send her the code. She's also going to warn us if she thinks we're being detected." Jane explained.

"Whoever finds the phone first needs to get out. We'll rendezvous offsite." Jane insisted.

"Copy that," Cade pushed the phone into his pants pocket and slipped into the nearest air duct.

Jane followed after him, Kurt a breath behind her.

"This brings back memories," Kurt smiled as he watched Jane's backside.

Looking back over her shoulder Jane teased him, "When I told you I wanted us to grow old together, I had no idea it would happen this fast."

"Very funny," Kurt swatted her backside.

Jane stopped and turned around. The only part of him she could actually see was his eyes. "Thanks for coming with me…" She rested her cheek against his.

"Always," Kurt assured her.

"We're going to find it," she assured him.

"Nothing is worth losing you," Kurt insisted, "Remember that when you're making your decisions."

"I promise," Jane assured him, "But you're pretty necessary too."

"Glad to hear it," He smiled.

They separated ways and began the search.

It was over an hour later when Jane's phone vibrated. Looking down she saw Patterson's text.

_Cade has the phone, Madeline has just arrived with four armed guards._

Jane felt a surge of adrenaline.

Where was Kurt?

She began making her way back to the elevator shaft with haste. Twenty minutes later came the next text.

_Cade's out, Madeline knows something. She's just taken Breanna into custody._

Jane stopped abruptly. She couldn't just abandon Breanna…

Closing her eyes she took several deep breaths.

_Nothing's worth losing you… _Kurt's words from earlier rang in her head.

There was more than one way to lose yourself. She could lose her life or she could lose the person that she was.

She texted Patterson back, "_Is Kurt out?"_

"_No," _Was the immediate response.

"_Where is Breanna?"_ Jane typed back.

There was no immediate response to that.

"_She was taken to the conference room. She's being guarded."_

_"Tell me when Kurt's out." Jane texted._

Jane had spent the last hour becoming more familiar with the ventilation shaft. She knew the quickest way to the conference room and headed that way.

When she arrived Breanna was sitting at the conference table across from Madeline surrounded by security.

Jane studied Madeline silently. Remi would have ended this right here. She reached for the weapon she carried and weighed her options. There was no question Madeline deserved to die, but it was unlikely she could kill her and make it out of this shaft alive. Not to mention she still hadn't received confirmation that Kurt was clear. She'd never risk him.

Then there was the choice. What did she want her life to be? Did she want to be Jane and do the right thing, or did she want to be Remi where nothing was wrong? Resting her head down she decided to listen to what was happening.

Suddenly she sensed a presence. Looking over her shoulder in startled surprise she found Kurt crawling toward her. Not elderly Kurt, but the face of the man she'd married. His expression was serious and she made room for him next to her. He didn't hesitate, but crawled in the tight space beside her and reached up to guide her mouth to his. She could feel his emotions as their lips met and knew he was a man on the edge. She gave him what comfort she could.

When he pulled back he looked slightly more in control. She brought her hand up and gently caressed the side of his face. The tension in his brow eased. She let him pull her against his chest and they listened to the voices in the conference room together.

"Why are you here?" Madeline demanded again.

"I work here," Breanna insisted.

"What are you working on that so important?" Madeline demanded.

"We've had a lot of staff turnover recently," Breanna reminded her, "There's a lot of paperwork involved in that. I'm so far behind…"

"You don't think I'm buying any of this do you?" Madeline asked her.

"Buying what?" Breanna said with genuine confusion.

"The security guard said you didn't come in alone." Madeline played her trump card.

"I came in with some of the cleaning staff," Breanna agreed, "It was more a coincidence that planned."

"Where are they now?" Madeline questioned.

"Cleaning something?" Breanna suggested, "How would I know?"  
"I'm going to review the security camera," Madeline warned her, "If you're lying to me, I'll put you in a hole so deep you'll never see sunlight again."

Breanna watched her stand up and move to the conference room door.

"Watch her," She told two of her security team while the other two followed her out.

"This is our chance," Kurt breathed into her ear.

She met his eyes and he didn't look angry, he understood. She nodded against him and kissed his neck. There were two vents going into the conference room and Jane made short work of heading to the other opening. They both burst out of the vents at the same time. Madeline's security team was caught completely unaware. Jane would have bet money they never saw it coming.

"Kurt?" Breanna gasped softly, before standing up and rushing over to them.

"We have to get out of here," Jane warned her.

"I can't believe you didn't leave me," She looked between the two.

"Let's get out of here," Kurt insisted, "Then we can talk."

Breanna climbed up into the ventilation shaft with their assistance. Jane and Kurt quickly joined her.

"They're going to find us," Breanna worried.

"Not if we hurry," Jane argued.

The route out was quicker.

_"Madeline knows, she's started the lockdown."_

"Hurry," Kurt gave up stealth for speed.

They made it back to the elevator shaft, but with the lockdown in place the elevators weren't going anywhere.

"What now?" Jane turned to look at Kurt in dismay.

"Now we need to climb out." He told her.

"I can't do it," Breanna protested, "You need to go without me."

"We aren't doing that," Kurt denied.

"Maybe we can hide until the lockdown is over?" Jane suggested.

"You know Madeline is going to go all out trying to find us," Breanna worried.

Suddenly one of the access doors opened. Jane tried to move out of line of sight, but as her eyes met the other mans she knew she'd failed.

This was an FBI Agent she knew, Special Agent Symon. They'd worked together on several missions. Madeline was about to know exactly who had infiltrated the building. There would be no hiding…

"You have anything?" A voice demanded to Symon.

He didn't hesitate to answer.

"No," Symon denied, "All clear."  
Jane silently gasped. Symon continued to stare at her when he advised his backup.

"I'm going to head up to the lobby and make sure the guards there are checking credentials."

"I'll tell Madeline the shaft is clear." The other voice said as it moved away.

Symon closed the door and suddenly the elevator began to hum.

"He's going to help us," Jane looked over at Kurt in disbelief.

"We all know what's going on," Breanna insisted, "We just can't stop it. You'll be surprised how many people want to help you."

They rode the elevator up and were able to sneak out of the building without being apprehended.

"At least the night wasn't a total fail," Breanna tried to look at the bright side. She'd just given up her life and made the FBI's most wanted list, but at least she didn't have to live with the team's death on her conscious anymore.

"Don't get too happy," Patterson warned her, "Cade took off with the phone."

"What?" Jane looked at the team around her.

"He offered to sell it back to us," Rich explained, "He seems to want to fund a new start."

"How much does he want?" Jane demanded.

"Ten million dollars," Patterson answered.

Jane and Kurt's eyes met. Just when they'd thought they could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Closing her eyes, Jane felt Kurt's arms close around her tightly. Bethany was just as far out of reach as before…


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"See this was what I was talking about," Reade told Tasha, "Jane was so worried about Breanna and we just let Cade, a former Sandstorm operative, walk off with the one thing that can exonerate us."

"We're going to get it back," Tasha assured him.

"That's not the point," Reade insisted, "Look where we're at. We have had to walk away from everything that mattered to us, lose jobs we worked all our life to get and for what?"

"To stop a monster," Tasha reminded him, "That _is_ our job."

"None of this would have happened if it wasn't for Jane's family vendetta." Reade protested.

"What?" Tasha demanded, "Are you saying you would rather be living oblivious in you're comfortable apartment still the Assistant Director of the FBI and have all these people pulling your strings?"

"No," Reade denied, "That's not what I'm saying…"

"Then what are you saying?" Tasha was incensed.

"I'm saying we need to step back and consider exactly what we're doing. We can't follow Jane blindly any more. Her old contacts are criminals and can't be depended on." Reade argued.

"They can't or she can't?" Tasha demanded.

"This isn't about Jane," Reade denied.

"Are you sure?" Tasha asked bluntly, "You pretty much dumped all the blame on her before."

"I didn't mean all of that," He denied, "I was frustrated and angry at all the secrets."

"Did you ever stop and realize that of everything you found out, the only person that wasn't keeping secrets was Jane?" Tasha pointed out.

"I asked her if Weller was hiding something," Reade argued.

"Oh," Tasha laughed, "You thought she would betray Weller's trust to you?"

"She was protecting herself," Reade argued.

"She was protecting us," Tasha denied, "I talked to Kurt about this…did you?"

"What's there to say?" Reade scoffed.

"Did you know that when Jane found out that she was Weitz's leverage against Kurt, she wanted to turn herself in?" Tasha asked him.

"What?" Reade looked surprised.

"Kurt didn't want to lose her and he knew that if she did that we'd all lose everything. You still wouldn't be the Assistant Director and your three piece suits would more than likely be prison orange." Tasha was all but yelling at him.

"Why didn't he tell me?" Reade asked softly.

"Oh," Tasha said with tone, "I don't know, maybe it was the way you blamed everything on Jane when it all began to fall apart. Excuse me, but weren't you the Assistant Director? Shouldn't you have had some idea what was going on at the NYO?"

"Tasha," Reade looked devastated.

"Look," Tasha relented, "It's not your fault and it's not Jane's either. We went after a very powerful woman and she won, but we're not done yet."

"I better go talk to them," Reade realized.

"I would wait," Tasha insisted.

"Why?" Reade asked her.

"Did you see her face when she found out what Cade was doing?" Tasha insisted, "All she's ever done was try to help him and now that he's turned on her…"

"She's angry," Reade finished for her.

"She's hurt," Tasha corrected. "So far as she knows the only person that really has her back is Kurt. You've made your stance clear and her old associates aren't trustworthy. We might call ourselves a team, but she's been there for us a lot more than we've been there for her."

Read felt the truth of her words sink in and his eyes closed in remorse. _You're not a real FBI agent…_ He never regretted saying anything more.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We're going to get it back," Kurt assured Jane. She was lying against his chest playing with his fingers.

"I know," She said quickly. She only did that to reassure him, he realized, not because she believed it herself…

"What's really the matter?" Kurt asked her.

"I thought we were on the verge of fixing everything," Jane admitted, "Now…we're right back where we started."

"It's going to take time," Kurt admitted, "But we will stop her and clear our names."

"In the meantime," Jane whispered, "Bethany has to do without her dad."

"I still get to video call her regularly." Kurt reminded her.

"It's not the same," Jane denied.

"The same as what?" Kurt asked.

"As getting to hold her against you or sing her a song." Jane explained. The longing in her voice easy to hear.

"Jane," Kurt suddenly realized, "Did you want to go with me to talk to her?"

"No," Jane denied, "Us traveling together is just asking for trouble. I understand. It makes sense that you go by yourself."

"She misses you too," Kurt suddenly felt awful. He'd been concentrating so hard on how much he missed Bethany, he hadn't realized just how much Jane missed her too.

"I'm sorry," Jane told him, "I know how it feels to have a child taken away from you, to want to hold them and not be able to."

Kurt felt his eyes fill. In a sense she'd had that happen to her twice. Three times if you counted when she left to protect them.

"She loves you," Kurt tried to reassure her.

"I love her too," Jane admitted, "But I'm not necessary to her. If I disappear from her life, then she'll forget me. If you disappeared, there would be a hole in her heart forever."

"Jane…" The pain in his voice finally penetrated her introspection.

"Kurt," Jane scooted up and kissed his lips, "There is nothing I won't do to get you and Bethany back together."

"We're a family Jane," Kurt reminded her, "Unless it's the three of us, we aren't all together…"

"I know," Was her quick response.

She obviously didn't. How did he rectify this? She'd made huge sacrifices for his daughter. She'd gone off on her own to face an army of faceless assassins, all to ensure _he_ had the time _she'd_ missed with his child. That was his mistake he suddenly realized. He kept thinking of Bethany as his daughter and not their daughter. If this was a child that he and Jane had together, he would have never made this mistake. She more than earned her right to be called Bethany's mom. She'd sacrificed and unconditionally loved Bethany from the first. He'd been selfish and thoughtless…

"Jane…" Kurt needed to find the right words.

"What are we going to do about Cade's demands?" Jane interrupted him.

"I'm not worried about that right now," Kurt insisted sitting up.

"What could possibly be more important?" Jane didn't understand.

"Well," Kurt met her eyes seriously, "The mother of my child needs me."

"Is Allie okay?" Jane's brow furrowed.

"You, Jane," Kurt insisted.

"I'm not the mother of your child," Jane denied, her face red.

"You are," Kurt insisted, "You didn't give birth to her, but you've put her first from the moment she was born. You've protected her and loved her. You're her mother every bit as much as I'm her father."

Jane felt a tear unexpectedly escape.

"Kurt…" She whispered.

"Next time I go for a video chat," Kurt insisted, "You're going with me."

"I thought we decided it wasn't safe…" Jane reminded him.

"That wasn't fair. I'm sorry," Kurt denied, "I kept you from seeing our daughter. I was selfish and stupid. Obviously, you want to talk to her every bit as much as she keeps asking for you."

"She asks for me?" Jane looked surprised.

"Of course she asks for you," Kurt smiled, "She loves you."

"Okay," Jane smiled timidly, "I'll go with you."

Kurt pulled her against his chest and kissed her forehead. He was messing this up, but he would learn what she needed and he would give it to her. No matter what it took…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Cade paced back and forth nervously as he waited on some kind of response from Remi.

Looking over at the phone he suddenly had a heavy case of remorse. It had been an impulse, one that he mostly regretted, but he couldn't undo it now…

What was taking them so long to respond? He knew they had money…maybe he'd overestimated how much.

He looked out the window silently. He'd trusted her and she'd betrayed him. He rubbed his shoulder where she'd shot him. Now she knew how it felt. He didn't really care about the money. What would he do with it anyway?

He considered throwing the phone away, but couldn't make himself do it. She might have left him to rot, but they'd tortured him for months. He wanted them taken down and he knew she needed the phone to do that.

He looked out the broken window and felt the breeze against his face. He was playing a game he couldn't win against a woman he couldn't beat. It was the most alive he'd felt in years…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I didn't mean to shoot you," Patterson stiffened when Nigel spoke from behind her.

"I don't want to do this," Patterson didn't turn around.

"You wouldn't speak to me in holding," His voice was accusing.

"I didn't need to speak to you," Patterson kept typing.

"That's not true," Nigel insisted, "Turning your back on me won't make me stop existing."

"And facing you won't make what you did any less painful." She refuted.

"It might," He argued, "You know I didn't want to hurt you."

"I didn't notice you struggling with your choices," Patterson finally stopped what she was doing and turned to face him.

"I was on a path I'd chosen long before I met you," Nigel argued, "I couldn't just get off the path I was on, no matter how appealing turning my back on Sheppard and the plan was."

"STOP LYING!" Patterson yelled at him, "You make it sound like you're a victim, but you made choices."

"The same choices Jane made," He pointed out.

"NO," Paterson wouldn't let him hide behind that. "She faced the same loss and betrayal, but in the end she chose to be better. She chose to change."

"And where did it get her?" Nigel pointed out as he looked at the abandoned building they were in.

"It got her a family," Patterson said simply. "We would die for her and she would die for us. It got her a husband who would do _anything_ to keep her with him. It got her a step-daughter that loves her like she's her own mother. It reunited her with the daughter Sheppard took from her when she was too young to stop her. But the most important thing was it got _us_ Jane Doe. She was a criminal and we were the FBI, but somehow _she_ made _us_ better."

"Patterson," Jane stood frozen in the doorway with Kurt's hands reassuringly on her shoulders.

"Jane," Patterson looked shocked to see her.

"Did you mean all that?" Jane looked like she was going to cry.

"Yes," Patterson ignored Nigel and moved over to where Jane was standing. "I know we don't tell you enough, but you're amazing and we love you."

Kurt smiled when Jane enveloped Patterson In a fierce hug. "Thank you."

"Thank _you_," Patterson's arms tightened around her.

She met Kurt's approving eyes over Jane's shoulder.

The smile they shared was an understanding one. They both loved Jane and both knew she was struggling.

Nigel watched silently. There was obviously something more important than revenge. For the longest time that's all he focused on. For a time Patterson had shown him more, but he hadn't been ready to let go of the past. So much had happened in the past few years, he almost didn't remember the man he'd been before. He'd always known Jane was strong, but watching the two women together he suddenly realized that even with all of her memories, she'd made the choice to move on to a better future. Yes, she struggled, but watching her now Nigel had to admit she had a strength he hadn't realized. Suddenly he wanted to start looking for his own future. He knew whatever peace he might one day find, it wouldn't be here. This part of his life was over he needed to stop looking back.

Turning away he left without another word.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We can't just pay him," Reade argued, "Can you imagine all the trouble he could cause with ten million dollars?"

"I think we should negotiate," Rich suggested.

"He knows we have money," Tasha reminded him.

"Yes," Rich conceded, "But he doesn't know _how much_ money we have."

"So what do you want to offer him?" Patterson asked.

"Why don't we try a million?" Rich suggested, "That's too much to ignore, but not really enough to take over the world."  
"Jane," Patterson looked over at her, "What do you think?"

"I don't think this has anything to do with money," She admitted, "So he'll probably take it."

"If it's not about money, then what's it about?" Reade looked surprised.

"Revenge," Tasha said with certainty.

"Revenge," Jane agreed as she and Tasha shared a look of understanding.

"Against who?" Breanna asked puzzled.

"All of us, everything," Jane explained, "He lost his whole life _and _he has to live with it."

"What if we gave him his life back?" Patterson suggested.

"How are we going to do that?" Rich asked her.

"What if we find his husband and son," Tasha caught on quickly.

"He didn't want to drag them into all of this," Bordon reminded them.

"You can't make choices for other people," Jane refuted, "They should get to choose who they spend their life with."

"This is risky," Reade warned them, "You know the CIA has eyes on them, especially after Cade's escape."

"I have a way to contact them," Jane admitted.

"What do you mean?" Reade was looking at her strangely.

"After Cade was taken back into custody," Jane admitted, "I found his husband and son. I just wanted to make sure they were okay."

"You've been watching out for them," Kurt suddenly realized.

"Cade's husband was making a lot of waves searching for him. I didn't want the CIA to perceive him as a threat." Jane admitted.

"Does Cade know any of this?" Reade asked her.

"No," Jane denied, "After he said he wasn't going home, I didn't want to make his decision harder. I was going to talk to him about it, but he left before I had a chance."

Reade was looking at the woman he'd blamed for everything and feeling worse with every breath. She was an empathetic woman. He didn't know if people could change or not, but he did know that whatever she was before, she was extraordinary now.

"I didn't mean to keep it from you," Jane looked over at Kurt in concern.

"Its fine," He assured her, "I wished I could have helped you."

"You're the reason for everything I do," Jane assured him, "I wouldn't be Jane Doe without each and every one of you."

"Well," Reade rubbed his neck, "None of us would be alive if it wasn't for you."

Tasha smiled over at him in approval.

Jane doubted that, but smiled without looking at Reade.

It troubled him that she wouldn't meet his eyes. He understood that she was protecting herself, but his chest hurt when he realized she was protecting herself from _him. _

Kurt placed his arm around Jane protectively and met Reade's eyes. Seeing lingering hostility, Reade knew he couldn't wait much longer to speak his peace. They deserved better than what he'd accused them of and he didn't want to permanently damage a relationship that was important to him. He needed to make this right.

"Did Cade leave a way for us to contact him?" Jane looked over at Patterson.

"Yes," She confirmed, "We have until tomorrow or he destroys the phone."

"I'll contact his husband," Jane turned to go.

Once she was gone Reade walked over to Kurt, "You got a minute?"

Kurt nodded and Reade ushered him to the side of the room.

"I wanted to tell you just how sorry I was," Reade said, his voice ringing with sincerity.

"That's fine," Kurt tried to brush off his concerns.

"It's not fine," Reade denied, "Jane won't meet my eyes and you look like you want to kick my ass."

"What do you want me to say?" Kurt demanded, "After _everything _my wife has been through in the last few months, you accusing her of bringing down the entire team should be no big deal?"

"Kurt…" Reade tried to intervene.

"In the last two years," Kurt went on as though Reade hadn't spoken, "She's gone on the run from who knows how many assassins to protect my relationship with Bethany. She didn't go to _any _of us for help because she didn't want to put us in the crosshairs. Then she finds out that she's been tattooed _again_. Not to mention the person that put the tattoos on her was the brother she still loves, but wants to punish her. Let's not forget holding Roman in her arms while he dies, thinking she was pregnant, having her husband shot, finding out she was dying, reverting back to Remi, undergoing multiple experimental procedures to come back to us, regaining all of her memories, facing all of her past mistakes, being buried alive and, oh yeah, the Assistant Director of the FBI and her friend insists that all of this is her fault."

"I know I was wrong," Reade insisted.

"Well that makes it all fine then," Kurt agreed, "It isn't as though she's already eaten up with regret for the things she's done in the past."

"What can I do?" Reade asked him.

"Give her space," Kurt said immediately, "I don't know how she's as strong as she is, but eventually she's going to break if we keep piling guilt and responsibility on her."

Reade just nodded and Kurt walked away. He had thought clearing the air would fix things, he hadn't realized just how much damage he'd done.

Watching them from across the room Tasha turned to Patterson and they shared a concerned look. This was their family and it was deteriating before their very eyes.

It was time for an intervention…


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sorry that this update took so long! This was HARD. I knew what I wanted to happen, but I couldn't seem to make it happen…very frustrating. Add in real life and there you go. It's all behind us now, so I hope you enjoy it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"They know that Kurt's alive."

"_What_?" Jane demanded in shock.

"They found Rich's mask inside the ventilation shaft. Tested it for DNA and identified Rich, Kurt and I." Patterson explained.

"But you haven't worn the mask in over a year…" Tasha argued.

"I know," Patterson confirmed, "But apparently Rich doesn't ever sanitize it."

"Yeah," Tasha said, "I'm really sorry I didn't get to mingle with that DNA cocktail."

"You wish," Rich glared at her.

"Okay," Patterson intervened, "Bigger picture…"

"So they might suspect he's alive, but they can't be sure," Jane argued.

"They're pretty sure," Patterson insisted, "They've put out an APB on Kurt, Rich, Breanna and me."

"What about Jane?" Kurt looked over at her in concern.

"Well," Patterson pulled up a different document, "Jane's made the FBI's most wanted list."

"Number 1," Rich looked over at her, "See they even think you're number one…"

"Why didn't they place us all on the list?" Tasha scowled.

"Because they don't want to bring attention to the fact that they're hunting their own," Jane explained, "Since I wasn't technically FBI…I'm fair game."

"Actually," Patterson denied, "You're as much FBI as the rest of us, we were just presumed dead."

"What about me?" Rich demanded, "Why didn't I make the FBI's most wanted?"

The outrage in his voice made the other's look at him strangely.

"This isn't some kind of honor," Reade insisted, "This means that every police agency out there is going to be hunting Jane."

"It's kind of like the Emmy for bad guys." Rich explained.

"You did not just say that…" Reade protested

"Well," Rich reminded them, "A year ago every assassin in the world was hunting for Jane and that came to nothing."

"What do we do now?" Jane asked wearily.

"The same that we were doing before," Patterson assured her.

Kurt was watching Jane with a worried expression. He'd taken off the mask last night in his haste to get to her. He hadn't known he lost it until they were out.

"I enacted the emergency plan Cade's husband and I established." Jane explained, "He and Cade's son are in the wind."

"How can you be sure they're clear?" Rich worried.

"I'm sure," Jane insisted, "He sent me a video message for Cade. He still wants him back."

"What if Cade doesn't buy that it's not a trap?" Tasha worried.

"He won't buy it," Jane agreed, "That's why they're flying in on a private plane, but they won't get here until after the deadline."

"If Cade destroys the phone…" Rich worried.

"He won't," Jane insisted, "I'll meet him and stall while Kurt goes to pick up Cade's family."

"I'm with you," Kurt immediately denied.

"They only person Cade's husband trusts to pick him up _is you_ and the only person that Cade will negotiate with _is me_." Jane argued.

"What if he kills you?" Kurt asked her. "You can't go in alone."

"She won't," Reade denied, "I'll go with her."

"We don't know how Cade is going to react," Tasha worried.

"That's why you made me the contact for Cade's family," Kurt accused her.

"I think I should go in alone," Jane didn't confirm or deny his accusation.

"I'm going," Reade wouldn't be dissuaded.

Kurt and Reade met eyes. Both of them determined to protect the woman that regularly and willingly sacrificed herself for them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Reade picked up the bag that contained the million dollars.

"For all we know this is just a way for Cade to kill Jane," Tasha worried.

"I'm not going to let that happen," Reade insisted, "Besides, she's not that easy to kill."

"I need you to promise me something," Tasha ignored his last comment.

"What?" Reade looked over at her.

"The only threat to Jane isn't death. If it comes down to it and Cade has to die…I want you to do it." She said in a rush.

"What are you asking me to do?" Reade stayed very still.

"Jane cares for Cade and she's been watching out for his family, I don't want her to have to carry the guilt of killing him." Tasha explained.

"Jane's killed a lot of people," Reade reminded her, "One of them her own Mother."

"Exactly," Tasha agreed, "She had to kill her own Mother, hunt her own Brother. She can't keep taking the burden of these decisions. She's been through so much…"

"And I didn't help anything with my accusations," Reade finished for her.

"No," Tasha agreed, "You didn't, but you can help her now."

"Why do you think I'm going?" Reade demanded.

"There's no question that you are a big part of the team," Tasha assured him, "What I'm asking you to be is a key part of our family."

"Tasha…" Reade protested, "I would die for any one of you, including Jane."

"I'm not the one doubting you," She assured him, "Jane set up this operation to go in solo. She ensured Kurt couldn't come. That's the Jane that climbed out of that bag in Time Square, the one that left for eighteen months to protect _us, her family._ She needs to know that someone besides Kurt is willing to do the same for her. She isn't a terrorist. She's a part of who we are. We need to show her that."

"And you think me killing Cade will make her see that?" Reade didn't look convinced.

"No, of course not," Tasha protested, "I don't _want_ you to kill Cade I just want you to make sure Jane doesn't have to."

"By killing him first? Is that all?" Reade verified sarcastically.

"If it comes to that…yes." Tasha wasn't apologetic.

"Is that why you went with Blake when she shot Roman?" Reade demanded.

"Jane couldn't have lived with that," Tasha admitted, "We didn't know he was sick…"

"Would you have killed him?" Reade was watching her seriously.

"I wouldn't just die for any of you," Tasha admitted, "I'd kill for you."

Meeting her eyes Reade didn't doubt her resolve.

"I won't let you or any of this team…this family, down again." Reade said simply.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Jane," Kurt walked up to her as she was gearing up.

"I know you don't like me going in without you," Jane turned toward him and reached for him.

"Cade has already tried to kill you on multiple occasions," He pulled her in. His arms sheltered her while his concern for her welfare delivered rebuke. She smiled at the contradiction.

"Don't worry," She insisted, "I can take him."

"Physically without doubt," Kurt agreed, "Emotionally, you care for him."

"I've killed people that I've cared about before," She reminded him. Sheppard's death flashed before her, followed closely by Oscar. Holding Roman as he died…

"Nobody expects you to face this alone," Kurt reminded her.

"I'm not alone," Jane immediately protested, "Kurt, even when you're not physically with me, you're still a big part of everything I am."

Kurt leaned down to kiss her softly.

"Send someone else to pick up Cade's family," Kurt pleaded.

"I can't," Jane denied, "I won't have any contact with them until after they get picked up. It's a safety precaution. Even if I could contact them in route, they wouldn't believe me."

Kurt closed his eyes.

"Reade has your back," Kurt insisted when he opened them back up. Accepting there was nothing he could do now to change anything.

"I know," Jane said quickly.

That wasn't a good sign.

"If you don't trust him to watch out for you," Kurt started.

"It's not that," Jane denied, "_He_ doesn't trust _me_."

"He does," Kurt denied.

"No," Jane insisted, "Cade is former Sandstorm and so am I. You're asking him to go into a situation surrounded by the enemy."

"You've had his back and he's had yours for years." Kurt reminded her.

"And he's resented it," Jane all but whispered, "You heard him, I cost him the life he's worked so hard for. He had to walk away from everything that mattered!"

"Do you want Tasha to go with you instead?" Kurt relented. He didn't doubt Reade, but the last thing he needed was for Jane to feel any more exposed than she would be already.

"No," Jane denied. "Reade will be extra vigilant because he's in an uncomfortable situation."

Kurt knew that there was nothing he could do to fix this in the time they had left. His concerned grew and his arms tightened.

"Promise you'll be careful," Kurt looked down at her seriously.

"Always," Jane assured him, "You, too."

Kissing her, he watched her turn to go find Reade.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The ride over to the meeting was uncomfortably silent.

"Jane…" Reade had no idea what to say to make any of this even remotely better.

"You don't have to," Jane interrupted him.

"I've got your back," Reade insisted, "And you've always had mine."

Jane nodded stiffly, "I've got you."

Reade took a deep breath when he suddenly realized things might never be what they once were. The fact that it was all on him only made that realization harder to accept.

"Cade has a tell," Jane said in the ensuing silence, "When he's about to attack, he drops his chin. I doubt he even knows he does it."

"Is he right or left handed?" Reade asked her.

"Right handed," Jane immediately replied, "But he's ambidextrous. Sheppard made all of us train that way. That way if we were wounded, we could still preform the mission."

"Sounds charming," Reade frowned thinking about the life Jane had been forced to live.

"Don't worry," Jane assured him, "Cade was only with Sheppard for four years, I started training when I was much younger. I'm better."

Explanations like that broke his heart. She hadn't had much of a childhood and she's willingly agreed to help them, even knowing the possible cost to her was death. _Y_o_u're not a real FBI Agent…_

"I'll drop you off a block away," Jane went on, "Cade will likely be in the rafters. He likes the high ground, he's an excellent sniper."

"Yeah," Reade reminded her, "I remember."

Jane absently rubbed the spot where Cade had shot her last time. If she hadn't been wearing the body armor she'd be dead.

Reade didn't miss the gesture.

"What if he shoots you before you say anything?" Reade worried.

"I have on a vest," Jane reminded him. Kurt had been adamant and she could hardly argue against his concern.

"What if he goes for a headshot?" Reade asked her.

"If he does that," Jane looked over at him, "Take him out and get the phone."

"What? You expect me just to agree with that flawed plan, just like that?" Reade was obviously outraged.

"I don't think he's going to shoot me before he gets his money," Jane insisted.

"You said this was all about revenge," He reminded her.

"We have to try," She insisted, "If we don't get that phone back…"

"Then we'll find another way to clear our names," He insisted, "You don't have to sacrifice anything for us."

"No," Jane agreed, "That's what you had to do."

"This isn't your fault," Reade insisted, "I was wrong to say that. I'm sorry."  
"I don't blame you for what you said," Jane looked over at him quickly before turning back to the road, "I made my choices and you have a right to be angry about getting pulled into all of this."

"What did Nigel tell you as we were leaving?" Reade changed the subject.

"He recommended we go in together," She explained.

"Then why aren't we?" He demanded.

"Because that would mean trusting Nigel and giving Cade two targets," Jane explained.

"Nigel knows Cade," Reade worried, "If he things we should go in together…"

"He's Sandstorm," Jane interrupted, "We can't trust him."

"So were you," Reade gently reminded her, "And I trust you."

Jane looked over at him and for the first time he could see the hurt he'd caused her written clearly on her face.

"Look where it got you," Jane reminded him.

"Jane," Reade said sincerely, "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I'm sorry I ever said otherwise."

She nodded her head, but didn't verbally acknowledge his claim.

"So we go in together?"

"Together," Jane agreed.

They pulled up to the warehouse cautiously. The team wasn't far behind them. Tasha, Patterson and Rich were their backup.

"I'll go in the front," Jane looked over at Reade.

"We go in together," Reade was steadfast.

They opened the door cautiously. It was dark. Jane and Reade shared a look before they stepped inside.

As their eyes adjusted a voice came echoing from around them.

"I didn't think you were coming," Cade taunted them.

"You knew we would." Jane denied.

"Where's Weller?" Cade asked suspiciously. If he knew anything with certainty it was that Kurt Weller would do anything for his wife. The fact that he wasn't here with her now couldn't mean anything good.

"He had something to do," Jane explained.

"Something more important than coming here with you?" Cade scoffed, "I doubt it."

"We have your money," Jane dropped the bag on the ground before her.

"Is it supposed to be in there?" Cade sounded doubtful, "Bags not big enough."

"It is a million dollars," Jane admitted.

"That wasn't the deal," Cade insisted.

"There's a new deal," Jane told him.

"One where you die?" Cade asked her.

Reade stepped slightly in front of Jane.

"Oh," Cade taunted, "Isn't that cute, he thinks he can protect you from me."

"I don't need protecting," Jane reminded him.

"The red dot on your shirt says otherwise," Cade insisted.

Jane looked down to see the dot he was referring to. It was within the parameters of her vest.

"I've been watching out for your family," Jane told him without moving.

"WHAT?" Cade demanded, his voice cold.

"When the CIA took you into custody," Jane explained, "Your husband was making a lot of noise looking for you. It was drawing the attention of the wrong people."

Cade froze in the rafters.

"I contacted him and made you a cover story. Told him that some bad people were looking for you and that he needed to stop with the missing posters and rally's he was putting on for you." Jane explained.

"He didn't think I just ran off?" Cade demanded, his finger trembling on the trigger until he removed it.

"He never thought that," Jane denied, "We built an escape plan in the event those bad people ever came to him looking."

"They must be looking now!" Cade insisted.

"They are," Jane agreed, "And we put the plan in motion."

"Where are they now?" Cade demanded gruffly.

"On the way here," Jane admitted, "Kurt's picking them up."

"It's not safe," Cade insisted, "You're lying!"

"I'm not," Jane denied, "He sent me a message for you."

Cade watched as Jane took her phone out of her pocket and held it up. He held his breath when his husband suddenly appeared in the screen.

"Our guardian angel insisted you wouldn't believe her when she told you we were coming to you," His husband said looking into the camera, "But we are. We know you didn't just leave us, we never thought you did. We thought…we thought you might be dead."

Cade knew this had to be a trick, but he wanted to believe.

"I don't believe you!" He screamed down at Jane.

"Our son is growing up," The man continued and suddenly Cade was mesmerized by his own son.

As the message ended, Jane turned the phone off and looked up at Cade.

"We're offering you a million dollars and a chance to be back with your family," Jane went on, "But you need to give us the phone."

"Why would you do this for me?" He asked clearly puzzled.

"You came to me for help," Jane reminded him, "I couldn't stop what happened to you, but I could protect the people that meant the most."

Reade was watching her silently. She always protected the most vulnerable.  
Suddenly, Cade jumped down from his perch in the rafters.

Reade lifted his weapon up, Tasha's warning filling his head.

Suddenly a shot pierced the air and hit Jane center mass.

"NO!" Cade roared as Jane was repelled backwards.

Reade fired a shot toward the source even as he dragged Jane behind a shield of boxes.

"Stand down," Cade yelled.

"Jane," Reade was kneeling over her, "Are you hit?"

"Plates," She gasped.

"They have a million dollars in that bag," The voice called back to Cade, "You were only offering me $25,000."

"If you want to live," Cade said, his voice deadly, "I would rethink this decision."

"I don't just want to live," The voice denied, "I want to live well…"

Cade looked over at where the bag lay still by the door. He couldn't let him get that bag, but before he could move someone began laying down cover fire.

Cade barely made it to cover in time.

"Is she hit?" Cade called out.

"She's dead," Reade lied immediately. Jane was lethal and everyone knew it. If they thought she was dead, then the advantage shifted to them.

Cade closed his eyes in remorse.

"And you're next," The voice in the rafters promised.

Cade realized that the backup he'd bought hadn't come alone. Contractors…

Reade helped Jane sit up against the boxes.

"I'm going to try to get behind them," He told her.

"No," Jane argued, "They have the high ground."

"What do you want to do?" Reade asked her.

"I'm going up," Jane told him, her eyes finding her avenue.

"There are at least two snipers in the rafters," Reade reminded her, "And you don't have anything but a handgun."

"Do you have a better idea?" Jane asked him.

"I'll draw their fire," Reade told her, "You go find Cade."

"For what purpose?" Jane asked in confusion. Reade frowned when he realized she was still off her game.

"He has a sniper rifle," Reade reminded her.

"I don't need a gun to take out a sniper," Jane pulled a knife out from a scabbard at the small of her back. "You already made me a ghost, now let me go get them."

"What if Cade shoots you?" Reade worried.

"You go to Cade," Jane insisted, "They won't even know I'm there."

Reade wanted to argue, but seeing the stubborn light in her eyes, knew the best he could do now was keep their target on him.

Taking a deep breath he skirted across the open space between crates, heading toward Cade.

The shots rang out immediately. He felt the kiss of the bullet, but didn't take the time to assess damage.

He all but slid into place behind the same crates as Cade.

Cade raised his gun before lowering it again.

"Is she really dead?" Was his only question.

"She was wearing a vest," Reade told him.

Cade felt a huge relief. He'd made the same mistake once. Luckily the man he'd hired to even the odds didn't know Jane.

"We need to draw their attention," Reade insisted.

"Not a problem," Cade assured him before he turned and began to fire into the rafters.

"Jane's up there!" Reade reminded him, shooting low.

"I've worked with Remi a lot longer than you," Cade insisted, "Trust me."

"Jane," Reade argued even as he fired more rounds.

"Whatever she calls herself," Cade insisted, "Those bastards in the rafters don't stand a chance."

"So, what, now you're back on her side?" Reade asked in disgust.

"I blamed her for things that weren't her fault," Cade reluctantly admitted, "It was easier than shouldering the responsibility myself."

Reade felt a kick in his stomach. He more than understood that.

Suddenly a body fell from the rafters. Reade crawled over to the corner of their cover to look and make sure it wasn't Jane.

His head fell back against the crate when he realized it wasn't.

The other gunman began to shoot wildly around the rafters, not aiming so much as just spraying fire.

Cade stood up, took aim and shot him. The second body hit the ground with a dull thud and then everything was quiet.

"Jane?" Reade called up to her.

When he didn't receive and answer he felt his heart drop.

Cade had crouched back down and was waiting and listening. With his eyes scanning the darkness they waited.

Suddenly there was the sound of a gurgling scream. The last body hit the ground.

Jane climbed down and rushed over to where Reade and Cade were taking cover.

"That's it," She assured the men.

Reade's eyes were drawn to the blood dripping from her left hand.

"Are you hit?" He demanded as he rushed over to her.

"It's just a graze," Jane assured him, "You're bleeding too."

Reade brushed aside her concern, "It's a scratch."

They shared a look of amusement.

"Yeah, you're both hard asses," Cade looked between the two of them, "That's great, but we have a little problem."

Jane looked over and her amusement fled when Cade held up the broken phone.

"Did you do that on purpose?" Reade demanded.

"Of course not," Cade denied, "I was trying to keep from getting shot."

When the outside door silently swung inward, the three of them turned toward it expecting the worst.

Rich rushed in his gun ready.

"Who gave him a gun?" Reade demanded ducking back down.

"Freeze!" Rich screamed.

"Rich," Jane chided, "Put the gun down."

"Yeah," Cade looked at Jane, "He's a beast."

"Well at least he's on our side," Reade said pointedly standing back up.

Patterson and Tasha emerged from the shadows.

"We heard shooting," Patterson looked between Reade and Jane, "Everything okay?"

Tasha advanced on Reade when she saw the blood.

"Who gave Rich a gun?" Jane demanded as she wrapped her hand in the edge of her shirt.

"Are you hurt?" Patterson worried.

"It's nothing," Jane brushed aside her concern.

"Yeah," Tasha scoffed, "Weller is five minutes out, so you might want to wash that off."

"Does he have my family?" Cade demanded.

"Yes," Patterson assured him.

"Do you have the phone?" Tasha verified.

"It's broken," Reade told her.

"How broken?" Patterson worried.

When Cade showed her the pieces her eyes closed and she took them without a word.

"What was with all the shooting?" Rich was still holding his gun on Cade.

"Cade brought some backup that wasn't so reliable," Jane explained with a wince.

"So do we have a deal?" Tasha demanded even as she was inspecting Reade's injury.

"It's a deal," Cade agreed.

"We should at least get a discount because the phone is broken!" Rich protested.

"Rich!" Patterson chided.

"Couldn't I at least shoot him in the leg or something?" Rich pleaded.

"I wouldn't," Cade warned him seriously.

"Well, you don't get a vote," Rich told him, "You suck."

"Jane let me help you," Patterson offered seeing her struggle to keep her hand wrapped.

"I guess we better find a place to rinse it off," Jane conceded.

Watching them move off Reade turned to Cade, "She's only ever tried to help you, how can you have set her up like this?"

"Well forgive me," Cade didn't sound contrite, "Last time I came to her for help, I ended up in a CIA black site with a hole in my shoulder."

"You took Zapata hostage!" Reade argued.

"Only because you were all lying to me!" Cade said heatedly.

"He's right," Tasha cut through the argument, "Keaton was sending him back to a black site."

"That's how I can do it," Cade said simply.

"But Jane had nothing to do with that!" Reade insisted.

"She should have known and she should have stopped it!" Cade argued.

"She spared your life," Tasha reminded him, "She could have killed you."

"I wished she would have," Cade admitted, "You don't know what it's like at a CIA black site."

"Jane does," Rich reminded him.

"That's just all the more reason to blame her for helping them send me back there." Cade insisted.

"Would you have really rather died than come back to us?" A male voice said from the doorway.

Cade's head jerked to look at his husband who was holding his son's hand.

"I….I can't believe it!" Cade rushed toward them, all animosity forgotten.

"Where's Jane?" Kurt worried looking for his missing wife.

"She and Patterson went to find some water." Tasha predicated.

"She's hurt?" Kurt demanded immediately.

"It's just a graze," Jane assured him coming out of the darkness from the other side of the warehouse.

Kurt immediately moved to join her and his arm came around her as he inspected her for any further injuries.

"Mine's just a graze too," Reade assured him sarcastically.

Kurt shot him a glare.

"What happened?" He demanded, his gaze falling on Cade with open hostility.

"Let's just say that Cade has seen the error of his ways, but the phone was broken." Patterson glossed over everything.

"Can we salvage any of the data?" Kurt worried.

"We'll have to see," Patterson shook her head, "We don't have the resources we had before. It's not going to be easy and it's going to take time."

"What do we do with him?" Rich asked.

"Let him go," Jane said, her voice tired, "They have a cover already established. With the money Cade demanded they'll be fine."

"How do we know Cade won't make another error in judgement?" Rich asked her.

"All I want to do is get out," Cade insisted, "This is my last chance to start over and I'm not going to waste it."

"I believe him," Jane admitted.

"I'm sorry," Cade told Jane sincerely.

"Me too," She told him.

Cade's husband rushed over and gave Jane a big hug.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," She hugged him back.

"If you need anything," He went on.

"We've got it," Jane assured him.

Cade reached down and grabbed the bag. Watching them leave Jane felt conflicted. She'd just given them the one thing she couldn't even give her own family, the freedom to live their lives how they chose. Looking at the tired faces of her team she leaned into Kurt and followed them back into the shadows.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Jane do you have a minute?" Reade asked her.

"Uhhh, sure," She agreed standing up to follow after him.

Reade turned to her and admitted, "I listened to all the reasons Cade blamed you for his circumstances and I tried to figure out why he held you responsible when he'd done so much of this to himself."

Jane looked down.

"I think I finally figured it out," Reade said softly, "It's because you're incredible."

Jane looked up in surprise.

"People depend on you to get amazing things done and you don't let them down. You sacrifice and suffer for the greater good. So when things _do_ go wrong, it's easy to look at you and wonder why you couldn't fix this like you did everything else. It's easy to blame you because it's hard to accept self-responsibility."

"Reade," Jane protested.

"I know this, because I'm guilty of the same thing. I was the head of the NYO. It was my responsibility to keep things running smoothly and I failed. _I_ failed…not you. I'm sorry I ever said that any of this was you're fault. You might not have taken an oath, but you are sure as hell one of the best FBI Agents I've ever known, but more than that, you are one of the best friends I've ever had. I'm sorry."

Jane felt tears fill her eyes.

Seeing them Reade pulled her against him and gave her a bear hug.

"You forgive me?" He asked her.

"If you'll forgive me," Jane whispered.

"Nothing to forgive you for," Reade denied, "Love you."

"I love you too," She admitted.

"I want some of that!" Rich said from across the room.

Suddenly, it wasn't only Rich, but the team descended on them with happy smiles. The relief of finally getting past the blame and accepting that only together would they succeed spurred relieved laughter.

"Group hug!" Rich called out.

Jane met Kurt's eyes over Reade's shoulder. The tenderness in his expression made her smile grow.

With their family surrounding them Kurt and Jane knew one thing for certain, things were looking up.


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You were shot in the chest?" Kurt looked at the large discoloring bruise covering Jane's chest in disbelief.

"Guess you were right about wearing the vest," Jane tried to lighten the mood.

Kurt didn't respond, he was staring at the evidence of just how closely he'd come to losing her…again.

"Kurt?" Jane dropped the pretense that everything was fine when she saw his struggle.

"What else?" He worried, his eyes meeting hers.

"That's it," Jane hastily assured him.

Kurt nodded his head and turned away. Jane watched him head into the bathroom with a worried frown. When he still hadn't come out ten minutes later she walked over to the door and knocked softly.

"Kurt?" She worried, "You okay?"

There was a muffled assurance and she retreated to sit on the bed.

Five minutes later the bathroom door opened and Kurt froze when he saw Jane patiently waiting on him.

Her heart ached when she realized his eyes were red.

"Kurt…" Jane stood up and walked over to enfold him in her arms.

He stood stiffly for only a moment before his arms came around her and held her tightly.

"I'm sorry," Jane whispered into his neck. She should have told him about the near miss before he saw the damage for himself.

"You know how necessary you are to me," Kurt told her.

"We are in a dangerous situation," Jane agreed, "But we're both careful."

"Not careful enough," Kurt insisted looking down at the bruise still gracing her chest.

"Kurt…" Jane didn't know what she could say to reassure him.

"I have spent the majority of our marriage, either looking for you or facing the prospect of losing you," Kurt said bluntly.

"I'm sorry," Jane raised her hand to cup his cheek.

"You are necessary to me in a way you clearly don't understand," Kurt accused her.

"You're just as necessary to me." Jane insisted.

"But you don't fear losing me," Kurt argued, "Because you haven't had to face it."

"I do fear losing you," Jane admitted, "I watched that building explode…" She couldn't go on.

Seeing the anguish on her face, Kurt closed the distance between them and pulled her against him.

"I'm sorry, you're right." He kissed her forehead.

"The reason I sent you to pick up Cade's family," Jane whispered, "Was because I can't risk losing you again."

Kurt rested his forehead against Janes, "What a pair we make."

"Yes," Jane agreed, "The perfect pair."

"So what now?" Kurt pulled back and kissed the tip of her nose.

"I have a boo boo than needs to be kissed better," Jane suggested looking up at him with an expression that had immediate effect.

"Do you?" He smiled.

"Think you're up for it?" She teased.

He leaned down to kiss her and she could feel the effect she had on him.

"I guess so…" She smiled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rich looked at the computer screen in front of him before running his agitated hands back through his hair in frustration. He'd recently dyed it blond so that he wouldn't be recognizable. It only made him more noteworthy if that were possible.

Jane looked from his frustrated face to Kurt. The amusement in her expression had his heart lightening.

They shared a smile.

"What could possibly be amusing?" Rich demanded petulantly.

"Nothing," Jane hastily reassured him. Silently wondering why he hadn't dyed his beard…

"Maybe if I slept half the morning away," Rich went on grumpily, "I would be in a better mood too… or weren't you two sleeping?"

Jane clammed up. It was enough of a confirmation for Rich, even if he hadn't caught the wink a very satisfied looking Weller gave his wife.

"I have literally not slept and you come in here all…happy. How dare you?" He was truly outraged.

"Leave them alone," Patterson insisted, standing up and walking over to them. "They deserve a little happiness."

"So do we!" Rich argued, "For all we know our application to adopt is going to be thrown into the trash."

"Your…what?" Jane was looking between Patterson and Rich in surprise.

"It's not _our_ application," Patterson snapped, "It's my application."

"You didn't read it huh?" Rich smirked over at her.

"What'd you do?" Patterson stopped what she was doing to look over at him.

"Two parent families have an advantage in the adoption process," Rich insisted.

"But I'm not a two parent family," Patterson reminded him.

"You are now," Rich denied.

"Why would you think a dark web hacking felon would make a good co-applicant?" Patterson was outraged.

"Don't be rude," Rich chided, "Of course I didn't put any of my former antics in the application."

"So…you lied," Patterson accused him.

"Well," Rich reminded her, "You didn't exactly read the form, so you kinda lied too."

"You and Rich are trying to adopt a child?" Kurt was looking at Patterson with a stunned expression.

"Apparently," Patterson all but growled.

"A parent," Rich laughed, "I see what you did there."

Patterson closed her eyes and began to count, "It hardly matters now. No way would anyone give me a child."

"Well, I'd offer to do it naturally…" Rich started.

Patterson's glare stopped him.

"I didn't know you wanted to adopt," Jane was looking at Patterson in surprise.

"It's just that Bethany's so sweet…" Patterson admitted, "I really want that."

Jane looked over at Kurt in concern. He was already missing Bethany…

"Why not have one of your own?" Kurt asked her.

"With Rich?" Patterson's outrage was evident.

"You could do worse," Rich snapped, "And have, if you'll recall."

"I'm sorry," Patterson hastily assured him. It wasn't fair to make Rich feel inadequate too.

"It doesn't have to be with Rich," Jane reminded her gently.

"Who else would it be?" Patterson reminded them, "Even before we were wanted fugitives, I didn't exactly have a lot of options."

"What about your liaison with Lincoln?" Rich asked her pointedly.

"I…" Patterson's face was on fire, "I don't think that getting involved with the nephew of the current Director of the FBI is an option right now, plus, that was really just a moment."

"You slept with Weitz's nephew?" Tasha asked from the doorway.

This just kept getting better…

"I didn't know who he was at the time!" Patterson protested.

"That didn't stop you," Rich reminded her.

Jane and Kurt shared a look of surprise.

"Was this at the same time he was in our offices training?" Reade was hoping not.

"I didn't know who he was!" Patterson continued to protest.

"But you slept with him anyway," Rich was not being helpful. His comments fueled by her outrage over their shared parenthood.

"So," Tasha began to tease, "You met the nephew, slept with him and then found out who he was."

"And then slept with him again." Rich said in an aside.

"Rich!" Patterson was ready to kill him.

"I'm just saying." He wasn't contrite.

"Besides that," Jane brought the topic back to the original one, "You're trying to adopt?"

Patterson shot her a grateful look before she realized exactly what Rich had been up to. He knew introducing Lincoln would make her want to change the subject, even if it meant admitting she'd been planning to adopt.

Rich was looking too satisfied.

"Rich and I are trying to adopt." Patterson explained to Tasha and Reade.

It was Rich's turn to look distressed.

"What?" Tasha had never been more speechless.

"We talked about it and Rich filled out the paperwork. He's really looking forward to diaper duty." Patterson smiled in satisfaction when she saw his face drop.

"I don't think…" Rich began.

"I think you will make great parents," Kurt winked at Patterson.

"Now, wait a minute!" Rich protested.

"Daddy Dot Com," Jane joined in, "I can see that."

"I know what you're doing," Rich accused them.

"Supporting our friends," Tasha caught on quickly.

"You're trying to freak me out," Rich insisted.

"If anyone would understand teenage rebellion," Reade encouraged, "It's you."

"Very funny," Rich hadn't anticipated the tables being turned on him.

"A lifetime commitment," Kurt smiled at Rich, "That's a big step."

Now Rich was looking slightly sick.

"I wonder what Boston will think?" Reade said casually.

"Look," Rich was getting agitated, "I was just trying to help Patterson out. I'm more like Uncle Rich who will help you hide the body."

"You're reformed," Jane reminded him.

"Says the woman currently hiding with me in a bunker from law enforcement," Rich reminded her.

Jane couldn't argue with that.

"It hardly matters now," Patterson reminded them.

"We're going to get our lives back," Kurt insisted.

"I know," Patterson didn't exactly look convinced.

"How's the work going on the phone?" Tasha worried.

"It's not," Rich admitted, "Even with the upgraded hardware we aren't any closer to being able to extract the data from what's left."

"Why not?" Reade worried.

"It's not only broken," Patterson reminded them, "It's encrypted. Rich was almost able to hack it before he was taken into custody, but once he was forced to hide the phone, all of that was lost."

"So if he did it once, can't he do it again?" Kurt asked them.

"Not without the right tools," Rich denied. "I don't have any of my programs and we don't have the large data processors that we used when we were in the FBI lab. Did we mention that the phone is also broken?"

"So what can we do to get you what you need?" Kurt asked them.

"We need a replica of this model phone," Patterson explained, "And we need access to the FBI servers."

"You hacked into their system before," Brianna reminded her, "Can't you just do that again?"

"No," Patterson denied, "Well, I could get in, but I need to literally hijack almost all of their systems and it would still take all night. No way could I do any of that without them immediately becoming aware of what I'm doing."

"Then we'd lose whatever access you still have," Jane realized.

"So we give up?" Briana looked distressed.

"No," Patterson denied, "I need to find a way inside."

"They are definitely watching for that after our last visit," Jane immediately denied.

"What if we don't break into the FBI," Tasha insisted, "What if we use the hard line at Reade's?"

"That might work," Patterson admitted, "But I'm sure they've taken that out by now."

"We still have the one at our apartment," Kurt reminded them.

"They might have overlooked it," Patterson looked over at Rich.

"Kurt hasn't been the Assistant Director for a long time," Rich agreed, "It's probably our best option."

"I think we should try both," Tasha insisted.

"Why?" Reade worried.

"Two reasons," Tasha explained, "If they're waiting for us to try something, we can buy Patterson the time she needs by distracting them."

"What's the other reason?" Rich asked her.

"It might hide the fact that Weller and Jane still have access. If we misdirect their search, then if we have to go back in again, we'll still have that avenue available." She insisted.

"Can you get into your back door, without leaving a trail?" Reade looked over at Patterson.

"The only person that could find my trail is Rich," Patterson insisted.

"Aww…." Rich was looking at her with a misty expression.

"Not now," Patterson growled.

"So who's going to go with Patterson and who's going to be the distraction?"

"Since its Reade's apartment," Tasha offered, "I think that Reade and I should take Rich and be the distraction."

"Take Rich…" Rich protested.

"It should be Jane and I," Kurt denied, "They know that Rich, Jane and I are alive. They aren't sure you are yet. Let's keep it that way."

Reade could see that Tasha wanted to protest.

"He's right," Reade insisted.

Tasha held her argument.

"If you get into a jam," She insisted, "We're your backup."  
"Fair enough," Kurt agreed.

"When do you want to do this?" Kurt looked over at Patterson.

"We need to reassemble the phone first," Patterson told them.

"Fair enough," Kurt shared a look with Jane.

They both knew the danger of what they were undertaking, but if they wanted their lives back, it was a risk they would have to take.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You're hiding." Nigel said from behind her.

"We're all hiding," Patterson looked over at him briefly.

"Not physically hiding," He chided.

Patterson glared over at him.

"Stop it." She warned him.

"I'm trying to help you," Nigel claimed.

"I don't need your help," Patterson insisted, "We don't have this type of relationship anymore."

"It wasn't all a lie," Nigel said softly.

"I'm not listening," Patterson warned him.

"You might not want to hear," Nigel denied, "But you need to."

"Why?" Patterson turned to face him, "How can rehashing any of this help me?"

"The woman I knew was open and engaging," Nigel reminded her, "She'd faced tragedy, but still was searching for her version of happily ever after."

"Well," Patterson turned away, "I'm not that person anymore."

"I think you are," Nigel denied, "You just don't trust yourself to find it."

"Who's fault is that?" Patterson pointed out.

"Partly mine," He admitted.

"Partly?" Patterson looked at him in astonishment.

"But it's partly yours too."

"Oh, yeah?" She tried to ignore him.

"You were hiding even before you met me," He accused her. "When David wanted you to move in together, you used your work as an excuse."

"Nigel…" Patterson warned him.

"When we were seeing each other," He went on, "David was the key to your reluctance."

"He was more than that!" Patterson all but yelled, "He died because of ME! How could I be free to find happiness after that?"

"None of this was your fault," Nigel denied, "David's death was tragic, but he made his choices, just like I did."

"Why are you doing this?" Patterson demanded.

"Because I overheard your conversation with the team," Nigel admitted.

"My adoption," Patterson clarified.

"Exactly," Nigel confirmed, "You're sabotaging that relationship like you have all your other ones."

"Oh," Patterson scoffed, "You think I'm going to be approved to adopt with all of this hanging over my head?"  
"No," Nigel denied, "Of course not, but once this all gets cleared up, you're going to use it as an excuse to stop trying."  
"If this gets cleared up," Patterson said seriously.

"I've been on both sides of this team," Nigel smiled, "This will get cleared up, but when it does, don't sabotage the rest of your future, for what happened in the past. You owe yourself that."

"Why do you even care?" Patterson demanded.

"I loved my first wife," Nigel said softly, "And if I hadn't been so consumed with how she died, I could have loved you. I was hiding every bit as much as you are and arguably it ruined my life. I've had a lot of time to think about my mistakes."

Patterson stopped what she was doing and turned to face him.

"You helped Jane and now you're trying to help me," Patterson acknowledged, "Why?"

"At some point you either have to die or you have to start making amends." He pointed out,

"So you're sorry for what you did?" She confirmed.

"I'll live the rest of my life with a mountain of regrets," Nigel agreed, "But one of them will not be standing by while you punish yourself for things outside your control. You deserve to be happy, whatever form that might take."

"Thank you," Patterson told him. She didn't know why, but suddenly she felt a weight she hadn't even known she'd been carrying fall away.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Happy Birthday Sissygirl28! :)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I don't know why I had to come," Rich hissed at Kurt and Jane.

"If we're really lucky," Jane insisted, "Both you and Patterson can be working on cracking Dominic's phone."

"Are you kidding?" Rich scoffed, "When have we ever been lucky? We're more likely to be killed."

"Rich," Kurt chided.

"You know I'm right." Rich insisted, "That's probably why you brought me. I'm expendable."

"You're not expendable," Jane denied with a sigh.

"Sure, you say that now…" Rich continued, "But you think I don't know that if the bullets start flying you're going to save each other first?"

Kurt couldn't even argue he'd do whatever it took to keep Jane safe.

"Neither of you is protesting..." He shot them both a look of outrage.

"You know better," Was the best Jane could do.

"Lame," He accused her.

"Come on Rich," Jane cajoled him, "You don't need to be saved. You're more than capable of taking care of yourself."

"I saved you," He reminded her, bolstered by her encouragement.

"See," Kurt said, "You've got this."

Seeing the look they shared Rich glared at them, "You both suck."

"We love you too," Jane said unoffended.

"If I die I'm haunting you." Rich warned them.

"Could you be any more annoying dead than you are alive?" Kurt questioned.

"Let me rephrase that," He said with tone, "I'm going to haunt your bedroom. No more alone time for the two of you."

"We'll try to get you out of here alive," Jane promised.

"You sacrificed yourselves for Patterson," Rich continued to complain. "She told me what you did in Iceland. Is it wrong that I think it's kind of hot that you took hostages?"

"Completely and totally wrong," Jane agreed.

"Bet you didn't think so at the time," Rich insisted, "Admit it, Kurt was hot as a hostage taker, I wish I could have seen that."

"He was kind of hot," Jane admitted, looking over at Kurt with a smile.

"Really?" He demanded, "Don't encourage him."

"Sorry," Jane immediately reeled it back in.

"So are we just going to walk up to the front door?" Rich asked them from the back seat.

"No we're going to repel down from the roof," Jane denied.

"Repel…" Rich's consternation was evident.

Jane started to laugh.

"Are you messing with me?" Rich hissed.

"Aren't you the guy that base jumped off the roof to escape?" Kurt reminded him.

"Yeah," Rich agreed, "But I chafed _something_ horribly."

"Was it worth it?" Jane looked over her shoulder at him with a smile.

"Of course," Rich agreed, "Because I was getting free and pulling one over on the two of you. This time I'm chafing myself to get killed! That's a completely different set of circumstances, much less desirable."

"There won't be any chafing," Kurt insisted.

"Oh," Rich asked sarcastically, "You expect to get killed on the roof before we go down?"

"What's going on?" Jane finally asked him seriously.

"Don't you ever get tired of being bait?" Rich demanded.

"We aren't bait!" Jane protested.

"You are," Rich insisted, "We are. I know both of you struggle to sleep worrying about the other and yet you constantly volunteer for the most dangerous missions. What's wrong with you?"

Kurt and Jane shared a look.

"What?" Rich demanded.

"We know what we can do," Kurt insisted.

"We've lost so many important people already," Jane told Rich, "We don't want to lose anymore."

Rich was looking at them with new understanding, "I'd say that was sweet, but then I remember I'm with you and back to being expendable."

"We need you to sell that this is how we're breaking into the system," Jane reminded him.

"Would you rather it was Patterson?" Kurt asked him.

"Of course not," Rich denied, "Unless she volunteered?"

At their look he let it drop.

"Chafing huh?" Jane started to tease him.

"Well some of us have…_more_ than others." Rich insisted.

"More?" Jane looked back over at Kurt to see him roll his eyes.

"Yes, more," Rich insisted haughtily.

"Maybe you just had the harness on wrong?" Jane suggested kindly.

Rich's look said it all.

"We'll do our best to keep you alive," Kurt insisted, "The chafing is all on you."

"Figures," Rich looked resigned before telling Jane, "You'll probably help _him_ with his chafing…you know…unless he doesn't have _more…"_

Rich glared at the impatient look Kurt shot him in the review mirror.

Jane was struggling not to laugh.

"I promise to help you with your chafing," Jane assured Kurt.

Kurt turned toward her in surprise before he began to smile.

Rich huffed in the backseat while Jane and Kurt shared their moment of silent communication. Looking away he shook his head, they really were just too adorable. He hoped they all lived through this terrible idea…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This is a terrible idea," Patterson told Reade and Tasha.

"Well," Reade rebutted, "It's all we've got."

"Setting up half of our team as bait is going to get someone killed," Tasha agreed.

"It's a little late to change anything now." Reade insisted.

"We just need to hurry," Patterson said as Reade disappeared over the roofs edge.

"You're next," Tasha insisted.

Patterson didn't hesitate, stepping into empty space she descended down to Kurt and Jane's balcony.

Tasha did a final sweep of the roof before she lowered herself down.

"I think we're clear," Reade assured them as he popped open the balcony door.

"We'll sweep the interior," Tasha assured Patterson, "You get started."

Patterson didn't argue with her, but set up her computer quickly.

Once they cleared the apartment Tasha looked over at Reade. "I can't believe how normal everything looks…"

Reade stopped to look at her, "Why is that?"

"Why is what?" Tasha didn't understand.

"Kurt was presumed dead for months…why didn't anyone come in here to take everything away?" Reade worried.

"They knew Jane was alive…" Tasha realized, "They left it this way as a trap!"

"We need to get out of here…" Reade was already moving back toward the living room.

"Guy's," Patterson was looking down at her computer in alarm, "We have a problem…"

"What is it?" Tasha worried.

"The second I plugged in the phone, it was bricked." Patterson explained.

"They were waiting for us to try this." Tasha realized.

"We have to get out of here," Reade insisted grabbing Patterson's computer and herding the others toward the door. The rope fell down from the roof just as they reached the railing.

Sharing a look Patterson whispered, "This is so not good."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They had just lowered their rope over the side of the building when Kurt's burner phone began to ring.

He reached for it in concern. When he saw Allie's number his stomach sank. She would never risk calling him if it wasn't an emergency.

"Is Bethany okay?" He answered immediately.

"She's fine," Allie assured him, "But you and your team are about to be taken into custody."

"What?" Kurt looked over to a worried Jane. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder when he realized she was worrying over Bethany.

_She's fine_… He mouthed to her.

The relief on her face made him love her even more if that was possible.

"You're apartment was wired in the hope that you would go back for something, */which apparently you have. The Marshall's have been called in to do the take down." Allie warned him.

"You know they're going to figure out you warned us," Kurt worried.

"You and Jane are Bethany's parents every bit as much as Connor and I. I know you're innocent, you need to go."

"They're going to be coming for you too," Kurt worried.

"I've got this Kurt," Allie insisted, "Get going.."

Kurt didn't waste any time, "We've got to go."

"What's going on?" Rich demanded as Kurt pulled the rope back up and threw it in the bag.

"The Marshalls are moving on our apartment," Kurt explained.

"It was a trap," Jane realized, her stomach sinking.

"Call the others!" Rich insisted even as they made their way back down the service stairs.

"Jane," Kurt worried, "Call with your phone. I don't want the number Allie dialed being linked in any way to our apartment."

Jane did as he asked.

"They aren't answering," She worried.

"What now?" Rich demanded.

"Now we become their backup," Kurt insisted.

"We can't shoot any US Marshalls!" Rich argued.

"And we won't," Kurt agreed.

"So what?" Rich asked impatiently, "You're going to say pretty please?"

"We'll think of something," Jane said with determination.

"And I was thinking this couldn't get any worse!" Rich said to himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They didn't stand a chance.

Reade was on his knees, hands restrained behind him, Tasha and Patterson on the ground beside him.

The apartment was swarming with US Marshalls and he knew it was only a matter of time before Madeline got her hands on them.

Tasha and Patterson weren't saying anything, but he knew what they were thinking. They were done…

Suddenly there was a commotion at the door. All activity seemed to stop and then the CIA was there.

Keaton looked down at the three of them and then told the Marshalls, "We've got this."

"You don't have authority here," The agent in charge of the Marshall's warned him.

Keaton just looked at him.

"I said…we've got this." He repeated, the look on his face convinced him.

As the Marshall's filed out, Keaton wasted no time getting the three of them on their feet.

"Keaton," Tasha started.

"Now's not the time," He warned her as they moved through the building to where they'd parked their vehicles.

Tasha held her words, but she shot Reade and Patterson a look.

Kurt watched as the others were taken out of the building and looked over to Jane and Rich.

"The CIA is taking them," He worried.

"We _can _shoot the CIA," Rich said, his time spent with them still fresh in his mind.

"We _can't_ shoot them," Kurt denied.

"So what do we do?" Rich argued, "If they get away from here, you'll never find them. We need to move now."

"Seven of them," Jane noted, "Three of us. We can take them."

Just then Keaton came into view.

"It's Keaton!" Jane looked over at Kurt.

This had all just become seriously more complicated.

"I thought he was transferred to some faraway place," Rich argued.

"What if we take out the vehicles instead of the people?" Jane suggested.

"We can't lose them if they don't leave," Rich said excitedly.

"We can't do it here," Kurt argued, "You know backups on the way."

"What if we lose them?" Jane worried.

"We won't," Kurt assured her with a gentle hand on her arm.

They quickly made their way back to where they left their car.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Reade, Tasha and Patterson were all placed in the back of Keaton's vehicle. Tasha frowned because she realized that this was an anomaly. They should never have been transported together.

"You need to coordinate the teams at the other's apartments," He told the man in the front passenger seat.

"I can do that from here," The Agent assured him.

"You need to do it personally," Keaton insisted, his voice leaving no room argument.

"Yes sir," The Agent got out of the vehicle and headed over to the other SUV waiting.

"Jake," Tasha started again.

"If I'm going to ruin my career and put my family into hiding," Jake interrupted her, "Could I do it with a little peace?"

"What?" Reade demanded.

"I've been monitoring Allie Knight's cell phone," Keaton explained, "Tonight she called Kurt to warn him about the raid. I decided to intervene."

"This is going to cost you your career," Tasha warned him.

"Yeah, well working for a corrupt government isn't exactly doing it for me." Keaton told her as he pulled to the side of the road.

"What are you doing?" Patterson worried.

"Waiting for Weller and Jane to catch up," Keaton explained, "They've been following us since we left the building."

The car pulled in behind them and Kurt and Jane approached the vehicle, guns drawn.

Keaton rolled down the window, "We don't have time for this." He warned them.

"What's going on?" Jane worried.

"I'll explain everything to you," Keaton assured her, "But not here. Follow me I have someplace we can go."

Kurt looked over at Jane and she gave him a nod. She trusted Keaton, but this wasn't her call. Looking into the back seat she looked at Reade, Tasha and Patterson.

"We're good," Tasha assured her.

Jane and Kurt moved back to their car.

"What's going on?" Rich demanded, "Why didn't you do anything? This is our chance, he's alone, we can definitely take him."

"He's helping us," Kurt explained.

"Helping us get ambushed," Rich insisted, "He's leading us into a trap!"

"Do you want out?" Jane asked Rich seriously.

"NO!" He denied, "We're in this together, even if I think this is a mistake."

"Thanks Rich," Jane told him sincerely. She understood just exactly how terrible the CIA black site was. The fact that he was willing to risk going back to one to help them said a lot about how much he'd changed.

Keaton pulled into an old abandoned warehouse just outside of town.

"That wasn't your best idea," He told them once the cuffs had been removed from the team. "What exactly were you trying to do?"

"We had Dominic's phone," Patterson explained, "It would prove that Madeline was running things, but we needed to hack into it. We didn't have the computing power to do it so we were going to use the hard wire in Kurt and Jane's apartment to utilize the FBI servers."

"Did it work?" Keaton asked.

"No," Patterson denied, "They were waiting for that. They bricked the phone."

"Now what?" Keaton worried.

"Now we find another way," Kurt assured him.

"Why are you helping us?" Tasha asked Keaton.

"Before I even landed in my new duty assignment, I received the alert to be on the lookout for you. That's when I knew Madeline was making her move. When the word came down that you'd been taken out by a drone…let's just say things changed. Madeline has a lot of pull in the government, but she wasn't aware of all the classified information about exactly what each of you has done to protect this country. There was no way anyone privy to that information believed the bullshit they were pushing. You aren't exactly alone out here, but until we can find proof, we have to go along with the status quo. All under the caveat that nothing happens to any of you, we break protocol to keep that from happening. The people working behind the scenes to clear you are your backup when you need it, even if it means turning our back on everything else." Keaton explained.

"Was Allie a part of this?" Kurt worried.

"Yes," Keaton confirmed, "She's already established covers for each of us. Sara and Sawyer are in our own version of witness protection. She and Connor are taking Bethany tonight. We won't see them again until we take Madeline down. My family is underground too and I'm helping you."

Kurt looked away when he realized that even his ability to talk to Bethany by video was now gone. Jane reached over for his hand. He enveloped hers and held on tightly.

"Do we have anyone left on the inside?" Patterson asked him.

"We have a veritable army on the inside," Keaton assured her, "But we can't afford to give up any more of them and still come out on top."

"What do we do now?" Jane asked them.

"We still have to crack the phone," Patterson explained.

"I thought you said it was bricked!" Keaton reminded her.

"I cloned it before we went in," Patterson assured him.

Keaton looked immensely relieved.

"What else can we do?" He asked them.

"I have an idea," Tasha told them.

"What is it?" Kurt asked her.

"Madeline killed her husband," Tasha explained, "She poisoned him. If we steal his body…"

"No," Rich denied immediately, "Not doing that…"

"Rich!" Patterson chided.

"Have you not seen any of the movies where some stupid idiot goes into the grave yard, digs up the zombie that then eats their brains?" He demanded.

"You think that our brains are going to get eaten?" Jane repeated incredulously.

"Okay," Rich conceded, "Maybe not eaten, but he's been dead for quite some time, that's not going to smell good."

"If we take the body," Kurt argued, "She'd just claim that we tampered with it. It could destroy the evidence."

"If we don't take the body," Tasha argued, "She'll definitely destroy the evidence."

"What if we don't take the body," Jane argued, "What if we just…move it."

"Move it where?" Tasha asked her.

"Into another grave in the same cemetery," Jane suggested.

"Like a bait and switch?" Patterson confirmed.

"She wants to play the shell game with the body!" Rich was delighted.

"I wouldn't put it that way!" Jane denied, "But yes."

"That might work," Keaton agreed, "If we move the coffin, but don't open it, they can't claim we tampered with the remains."

"Sounds like we have a plan," Kurt smiled over at Jane in approval.

"This is still going to suck," Rich reminded them, "Now we have to dig two holes!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that night Jane walked over and sat down next to Kurt.

"You okay?" She worried.

"It could have been much worse," He reminded her and himself.

"Allie's going to take good care of Bethany," Jane assured him.

"Allie blew cover to help us and now she's on the run with our child," Kurt shook his head.

"She's strong," Jane reminded him, "She's not going to back down and just watch all of this happen."

"It would have been safer," Kurt argued.

"That's not who she is and not who your daughter will grow up to be either." Jane reminded him, "You're surrounded by strong woman who love you."

Looking into her compassionate face Kurt pulled her in closer.

"I know how lucky I am," He admitted, "But I just want to protect our family."

"And we just want to protect you." She reminded him.

"This is going to be hard," Kurt admitted.

"But I've got you," Jane reminded him.

"I've never needed you more," Kurt insisted as Jane engulfed him in her arms. She shared his heartbreak and she was determined to be the strong one now. He needed a place to be vulnerable and she hoped her arms were always ready to catch him when he fell, just like he was always there to catch her…

"I love you," She whispered into his neck.

His arms tightened around her and even though she couldn't hear it, she felt his lips whisper his response against her neck.


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Can't we just hot wire some equipment or something?" Rich hissed over at Kurt.

"Not if we don't want to get caught," He replied.

"How are we supposed to get the casket out of the ground?" Rich demanded, "You know it's going to be in one of those crypt boxes that weigh a ton!"

"It's called a vault. That's what the pry bar is for," Jane explained as she shoveled another scoop of dirt out of the hole.

"Who cares what it's called!" Rich said in frustration, "I think you're totally missing the point!"

Kurt stopped shoveling and looked over at Rich. "Calm down. Do you want to go help Reid and Zapata finish digging their hole?"

"By myself?" Rich repeated, "I don't think so."

"You know," Keaton looked over at Kurt and Jane, "We're going to have a perfectly good hole here…we could just use it."

"I see what you're implying…very funny," Rich glared at Keaton's dark shadow.

Jane knew that Rich was wearing on everyone's nerves, but she was really grateful for the distraction. Last time she'd been the body in the coffin.

"Jane," Kurt urged her, "Why don't you take a break? We're getting low enough that too many people digging will only make things slower."

Jane knew he was right, but he was close enough to her to see that she wasn't the only one struggling with their current task. Last time Kurt had dug open a grave, he'd found her virtually dead.

"You okay?" She asked him softly.

Kurt's arm immediately went around her in comfort. "As long as I can look over and see you, I'm good."

Jane leaned up and kissed him gently, "There's no hurry."

He'd strained his back digging her out. She didn't want him to pull it again.

"No hurry?" Rich protested, "Have you ever seen _Night of the Living Dead_?"

"Their coming for you Barbara…" Keaton taunted with a line from the movie.

"Not funny," Rich protested looking around nervously.

Jane shook her head at their bantering and looked up into Kurt's shadowed expression. He could see her smile in the moonlight.

They shared their moment of levity before Kurt leaned down to steal a kiss before putting his shovel aside to help Jane out of the hole.

"Maybe I should get out too," Rich suggested hopefully.

"Keep digging," Keaton denied.

"I think this is going to ruin my shoes!" Rich insisted.

"Who wears loafers to dig out a grave?" Keaton demanded.

"We are _digging out a grave_ and you take umbrage with my shoes? Really? My shoes are what's wrong with all of this?" Rich looked over at Keaton with a glare. It was lost on him in the darkness, but it made Rich feel better.

"What's taking you so long?" Tasha said as she and Reade joined them.

"We have Rich," Keaton reminded them.

"How are you done already?" Jane asked them.

"We made it a race," Reade said dryly.

Jane laughed at his pained explanation.

"Who won?" Jane asked.

"I did," Reade and Tasha said together.

"I see," Jane suppressed a smile.

"How did you win?" Tasha demanded aggressively.

"By letting you beat me, I won," Reade explained calmly.

"So you're saying you let me dig more than you on purpose?" Tasha was outraged.

"Don't answer that," Kurt warned Reade from inside the hole.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Reade agreed.

Suddenly there was the sound of the shovel hitting the vault.

"Bingo," Rich called out, "We have a winner."

The others moved over to look down into the grave.

"I'm out," Rich insisted.

Watching him try to climb out of the grave made Tasha and Jane share a look of amusement.

"A little help here," Rich held out his hand impatiently.

They each grabbed a hand and hauled him out.

"Why didn't Patterson come?" Rich complained.

"We needed someone to break us out of prison if we got caught," Reade said dryly.

"It's not like she's not in the cemetery," Tasha reminded him. Patterson was waiting in a van by the front gate.

"She's just all alone…" Jane taunted Rich.

"By now she's either dead or possessed…" Rich agreed with a shudder.

"You know," Tasha taunted him, "The whinny ones always go first…"

"How dare you?" Rich protested.

"Hand me the pry bar." Kurt looked over at Jane.

She lowered it down to him.

Keaton climbed out while Kurt worked on opening the vault. It wasn't easy, but finally he was able to force it open.

Jane reached down to take the bar while Kurt stepped to the side so that he could open the lid.

"Oh…look," Rich said in relief, "It's dry."

"That's the point of the vault," Tasha reminded him.

"Actually," Rich denied, "The vault is to prevent a cave in."

"You know this…how?" Reade almost didn't want to know.

"I've dug up a few graves," Rich said cryptically.

The team all stopped to look over at him.

"What?" He demanded, "You want details?"

"NO!" Was their emphatic response.

"Calm down," Rich held up his hands, "There weren't any bodies in the graves…well except for that one…"

"Rich," Jane protested.

"Everyone makes mistakes," Rich argued, "That old woman haunted me for like three months. It took a priest, some holy water and a voodoo priestess to get rid of her."

"A voodoo priestess?" Tasha repeated.

"Maybe she just put a spell on him to make him think he wasn't haunted anymore." Jane suggested.

"That's not funny," Rich protested looking around nervously.

"We need the straps," Kurt tried to stay focused, but it wasn't easy.

Jane quickly supplied them.

"Coming out," Kurt warned them after he secured the coffin.

Jane reached down to help him and before long they each hand one of the many straps Kurt had secured.

"This is going to take all of us," He warned them, "Rich I'm going to need you to stay focused."  
"Trust me," Rich assured him, "Nobody wants out of here more than I do."  
"On three," Kurt told them.

On the count they all began to strain to get the coffin out of the hole. Once it was sitting on the ground before them, Jane leaned over to catch her breath. It was heavier than she'd expected…

"You okay?" Kurt worried, his hand running over her back soothingly.

"Why was it so heavy?" Jane worried.

"Maybe he was a big man," Rich suggested.

"No," Tasha denied, "He wasn't."

"Maybe this is just a top of the line coffin?" Reade suggested.

"Somethings not right," Jane insisted to Kurt.

"You think he's not in there?" Kurt asked her.

"I think somethings in there," Jane assured him, "But I doubt it's her husband."

"What else could it be?" Tasha demanded.

"I don't know," Jane denied, "But it's too heavy. Since she killed him, it would be foolish to admit that to you and then leave the evidence right where you can find it."

"How do you know how heavy it should be?" Rich demanded.

"This isn't the first cemetery I've been in at night," Jane said bluntly.

"You weren't digging up bodies…" Rich said faintly, "Were you?"

"Yes," Jane said impatiently, "I was digging up bodies."

"To eat their brains?" Rich asked faintly, taking a careful step back.

Kurt knew.

"Leave it Rich," He warned him.

Jane knew that telling them the truth would be easier than all the speculation.

"Seals don't leave men behind," Jane explained, "I retrieved my Seal Team to take them back home. Nigel helped me."

Kurt pulled Jane against his chest protectively, as though he could somehow go back in time to comfort her. The funny thing was it worked. He was constantly protecting her from her own memories and she loved him for it.

"Oh," Rich was looking at Jane with a sympathetic expression. "I guess this is probably pretty hard on you then."

"You think?" Tasha said with tone.

"Enough," Kurt told them, "We need to figure out what to do now."

"We can't open the casket," Keaton insisted.

"We can't bury this one someplace if he isn't even in there." Tasha argued.

"We need to call Patterson," Kurt told them, "See if she can find anything that would tell us what's going on."

"On it," Rich agreed reaching for his phone.

While they waited Jane burrowed into Kurt's arms and rested her face in the crook of his neck. He kissed her forehead and rubbed her back gently.

"How's your back?" She asked him softly, her hand running over it as though she was checking for herself.

"It's going to be sore," He admitted, "But so is yours."

"You didn't restrain it?" She worried.

"No," He assured her, "Last time…my life was in that hole. This time we just have the threat of prison. I wasn't near as desperate."

Her arms tightened around him and she kissed his neck.

"What do you think is in there?" She asked him looking over at the casket.

"I don't know," Kurt admitted, "But whatever it is, I think we need to move it just to be safe."

"Agreed," Jane confirmed, "Just don't tell Rich yet."  
Kurt laughed softly.

"We've got it," Rich announced less than enthusiastically.

"What is it?" Kurt asked him.

"Madeline Burke bought another plot in this same cemetery after her husband died." Rich explained, "This is their family plot. The other one is close, but unmarked."

"Let's move this one to Reade and Tasha's hole," Kurt suggested, "Then we need to dig another hole."

"Why take this one?" Rich argued, "Let's just leave it here!"

"We don't know what's in it," Jane reminded him.

"It's probably just cement or a manikin of Robert Wadlow…" Rich argued.

"What?" Jane was looking at him in confusion.

"Robert Wadlow was the world's tallest man," Reade explained, "And he wouldn't have fit in this size casket"

"Why do you know such lame ass crap?" Tasha asked Reade.

"All because you don't know it," Rich argued, "Doesn't mean its crap…"

"We're moving it," Kurt insisted cutting through the bickering.

By the time they lowered it into the hole that Reade and Tasha supplied they looked over at each other. "You think we can get a second one in there?" Tasha asked Reade.

"I'll make it fit," Rich argued.

"By what?" Reade asked him, "Standing on top of it and jumping up and down?"

"It'll fit," Jane assured them.

"Let's go get it," Kurt looked over to Rich, "Lead the way."

Once they were at the sight of the second grave they looked over to Rich and Keaton, "Go back and close up the first grave, we'll get this one."

"Close it?" Rich protested, "Why bother?"

"We don't want Madeline to know we stole her husband's body right away," Jane insisted, "They might be able to figure out where we put him and then all of this will have been for naught."

"The longer she remains in ignorance, the more likely any traces we leave behind will be gone." Kurt agreed.

"This is just getting better and better," Rich said as he stomped away.

"Barbara, they're coming for you…" They could hear Keaton taunting Rich as they walked away.

"I can use that perfectly good hole too," Rich warned Keaton, his voice getting fainter as they moved away, "Trust me nobody will have the energy to dig you back up after all of this."

Jane started to laugh. Standing in the dark, Kurt turned toward the sound and began digging with a smile on his face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dawn was breaking before they climbed back into the van with Patterson.

"How'd it go?" She worried.

"How'd it go?" Rich repeated with a scowl, "How do you think it went?"

"It's done," Jane assured her, "That's all that matters."

Looking down at his ruined loafers Rich pouted.

"Did you see any ghosts?" Patterson tried to perk him up. Dejected Rich is just too pitiful.

"No," Rich denied, "The haunting will probably come when I fall into the exhausted heap later."

"You'll be fine," Jane assured him hastily.

"Oh," Rich scoffed, "Sure you have Weller to sleep with, he'll probably keep your ghosts away, the rest of us are on our own."

"He does keep my ghosts at bay," Jane admitted meeting Kurt's eyes. His arm came around her and she rested against him.

"You're missing the point!" Rich said without heat.

"I got you something…" Patterson said to Rich.

"Is this something I'm actually going to want?" He demanded, "It's not like a suicide mission or something is it?"

Patterson turned her computer around and showed him what was on the screen.

"Is that?" He couldn't finish his sentence.

"Those loafers you wanted two weeks ago," Patterson agreed.

"You said buying shoes was too risky," Rich reminded her.

"I told you not to wear those shoes," She chided him.

"You give me a treat only to slap me back down again!" He accused her.

Realizing _I told you so_ was probably a little cruel at this point Patterson let it drop.

Tasha closed her eyes and let her head drop forward. She was beyond tired. Reade reached for her hand and she looked over at him with a smile. Leaning into him she rested her head on his shoulder.

Watching them from the close quarters of the cramped back seat Keaton leaned his head back with a little smile. He should have known that asking Tasha to lie to Reade was a stretch. It had almost cost them her life. In his experience any outside interference in the mission was too big a risk, but that was before he'd met this team. They could and did things regularly that would get most people killed and they trusted each other without reservation or judgement. He'd never met anyone like them. It was one of the reasons he'd turned his back on his life to help them. Even after the night they'd had, he didn't regret it. Some of the people he trusted the most in this world were in this car. How had that happened?

They arrived back at their hideout as the sun was brightening the sky.

Kurt looked at the door and his brow furrowed.

"Someone moved the wood." He warned the team. He'd place a board against their entrance as a warning.

Instantly the exhausted occupants of the van were on high alert.

"You think someone broke in?" Patterson worried.

"I don't know who or why," Kurt denied, "But someone has definitely been inside."

They stopped and as they pooled out of the van they began to fan out around the building.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Bethany came charging outside.

"Daddy! Mama Jane!" She screamed as her little legs closed the distance between them.

Kurt lowered his gun immediately and dropped to his knees. Jane joined him and Bethany plowed into the two of them at full steam. Allie appeared in the doorway with an indulgent expression.

"It's about time," She complained, "Bethany has been driving me crazy asking when you'd be back!"

Kurt looked up at Allie, "How did you know where we were?"

"Oh, please," Allie laughed, "This is what I do."

Bethany was raining kisses all over Janes face and she was returning the favor.

Kurt laughed and hoisted his little girl up into his arms.

"That's enough you two," He teased them.

"I think Daddy wants some too," Jane warned Bethany with a big smile.

Kurt felt the butterfly kisses and pulled his daughter more tightly against him. Throwing his arm around Jane he urged his family inside. Everything he needed held tightly within the circle of his arms.


	9. Chapter 9

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I'm sorry this story is taking so long. Thanks for sticking with me! :)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"And then the puppy licked me on the lips!" Bethany said excitedly.

Kurt looked down at her animated expression with an indulgent smile.

"I can't believe you and Connor came all the way over here," Jane said to Allie while she was watching Kurt interact with his daughter.

"I know how much Bethany was missing you two." Allie explained, "When I knew we were going to have to go into hiding, I had to bring her to you."

"Are you still ticklish?" Kurt demanded listening to his daughter's squeals.

"We needed this so badly," Jane admitted, "It's been hard."

"I know," Allie empathized, "When we got the notification that Kurt had been killed…"

"When that drone hit the cabin…" Jane took a deep shuddering breath and they shared a moment of silent pain, "I thought that was it. If it hadn't been for the radio and underground tunnels he would have been."

"I'm so glad we didn't tell Bethany right away," Allie told Jane.

"There was a moment," Jane admitted quietly to Allie, "When I thought Kurt was dead, that all I could think about was making them pay. The law didn't matter. Right or wrong wasn't even a consideration."

Allie was listening quietly while Jane admitted to her the secret she'd kept to herself.

"You're strong," Allie denied, "You would have done the right thing."

"No," Jane insisted, "I had nothing to lose at that point. Remi is always so close to the surface."

"You still had us," Allie reminded her, "We will always be there for you. We're your family."

When Bethany turned the tables and began tickling her Dad, Jane watched Kurt convulse and pretend to try and get away.

"Even knowing how thin that line is between who I was and who I am now?" Jane worried.

"Always," Allie said with certainty.

Jane turned to hug her. "Thank you."

"I wish Avery could have come," Allie said as she pulled back. Jane needed a reminder of all the family she still had just as much as Kurt did.

"It's better for her to stay as far away from us as possible. At least we know she's safe at school." Jane said in a tired voice. "She refused to leave. She's very stubborn."

"I wonder where she gets that?" Allie teased her.

Jane smiled over at her in weary acceptance.

"I just hope that's all she got from me." Jane shook her head.

"Determination, savvy, intelligence, independence…" Allie listed.

"Okay," Jane stopped her, "I get it, she's a handful."

"It was really hard on her when she thought you were all dead," Allie worried, "And then when she found out you weren't dead she was told you were terrorists."

"I wish I could call her, but after everything she's been through as my daughter," Jane worried, "She's probably relieved to be rid of me."

"That's not true," Allie denied, "She knows how lucky she is to have you, just like the rest of us."

"How can you even think that?" Jane worried, "All of this started with my family."

"No," Allie denied, "It started with Hank Crawford and the orphanage. You're just as much a victim in this as the rest of us, even more so when you realize how young and vulnerable you and your brother were."

"I'm sorry you had to walk away from your entire life," Jane said sadly.

"I walked away from my job," Allie denied, "I took my life with me. Bethany and Connor are all I need, everything else is just filler. I'm just sorry I'm not in the position to help anymore."

"You're doing the most important thing for us already. Bethany is always our priority and knowing she's safe with you and Connor is more than enough help." Jane insisted.

"When this is all over," Allie looked over at her seriously, "We need to figure out a way that you can see her more often."

"Kurt and I were already talking about looking for a place in Colorado," Jane admitted, "All we want to do is be a family."

"Bethany is going to be overjoyed." Allie looked pretty happy too.

Looking over at where Bethany was currently riding Kurt like a horse Jane smiled. "It would be nice if she could have a sibling or two…"

Allie put her arm around Jane and hugged her tightly, "It will happen."

"It never seems like the right time," Jane worried.

"That doesn't matter," Allie insisted, "Bethany wasn't only the wrong time, it was the wrong woman, but it still turned out."

"Don't say that!" Jane protested, "Kurt wouldn't change anything."

"If you could have seen his face when I told him," Allie could laugh about it now, "You wouldn't say that."

"We weren't…" Jane protested.

"That doesn't mean he didn't want to," Allie shook her head.

"It worked out the way it was supposed to," Jane insisted.

"I agree," Allie smiled over at her, "Now my daughter has two Moms and two Dads and couldn't be happier."

"Says the woman standing in a bunker." Jane reminded her.

"I'd rather be doing the right thing in this bunker with you and Kurt than going along with what's happening at the NYO right now." Allie insisted.

"And we're lucky to have you," Jane leaned against her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Higher!" Bethany insisted as she swung between Jane and Kurt her feet off the floor.

They looked over at each other with a laugh and accommodated her.

Seeing the breathtaking smile on Jane's face and hearing the sound of their little girl's laughter lightened Kurt's heavy heart. This was all he wanted, Jane and a family, but to have that he needed to clear their name and get their life back.

"I don't want to go!" Bethany said, her little face clouding up.

"You have to," Kurt knelt down and pulled her close, "Mom is going to take you someplace safe."

"I want you and Mama to come too!" Bethany pleaded.

Jane watched Kurt's eyes fill up and she blinked away her own tears. Bethany had curled up between them last night and Jane had woken several times to find Bethany still holding onto her tightly. She knew how much Bethany missed Kurt, but she was beginning to realize Bethany also missed her. She hadn't slept much after that. Between savoring the feel of her little body snuggled tightly against her and worrying about just how they can bring all of this to an end before even more precious time was lost Jane couldn't sleep.

"We want that too," Kurt assured her, "And as soon as we get everything straightened out we'll find a way to be together."

"When?" Bethany demanded impatiently.

"Soon," Jane promised her solemnly.

"Promise?" Bethany pleaded.

"As soon as we can," Kurt assured her.

Watching her go from person to person giving each one of them a hug goodbye Jane looked over at Kurt in concern.

"Are you okay?" She worried.

"No more than you," He admitted. He knew how little sleep Jane had gotten. Snuggling with his wife and daughter had filled a small part of the big hole his daughter's absence created. He hadn't wanted to miss a moment of it.

She looked back over at where Bethany was laughing at Rich's antics.

"Why don't you go with them?" She offered.

"What?" Kurt's eyebrows lowered in confusion. "I'm with you," He stated emphatically.

"No," Jane denied, placing her hand on his arm in assurance, "I know that. I don't mean permanently…why don't you go with them while they scout out transportation. It will give you a little more time with her."

"Aren't you going to come?" Kurt frowned.

"I draw too much attention," Jane denied, "We need for them to get out of the city without anyone noticing them. If I go…"

Kurt understood.

"I'm coming back," He assured her.

"I know," Jane leaned up to kiss him.

After they'd left Jane went over to Patterson and Tasha.

"I miss her already," She confessed.

"She brought life into this hovel," Rich agreed.

"You okay?" Tasha worried.

"Define okay?" Rich growled.

"Not you," Tasha denied impatiently, "Jane?"

"It's hard," Jane admitted, "I feel sad and guilty."

"It's not your fault," Patterson protested.

"Roman pursued all of this," Jane reminded them.

"Crawford had to be stopped," Patterson insisted.

"And Madeline's insane," Tasha reminded Jane, "None of that is your fault."

"Uhhh," Rich looked up from his monitor, "We have a situation."

"What kind of situation?" Patterson worried as she walked over to join him.

When she looked down at the screen her shattered expression had Jane and Tasha rushing over.

"Is it Kurt?" Jane demanded in concern.

"Jane…" Patterson was looking over at her reluctantly.

"There was a shooting at Brown," Rich explained.

"What kind of shooting?" Jane looked down at the screen.

"Sniper," Rich admitted.

"Was anyone hurt?" Jane's emotions had gone into lockdown.

"It says that one female student was critically wounded," Rich admitted.

"Was it Avery?" Jane asked faintly.

"Jane…" Tasha was trying to buy some time. "We don't know if this has anything to do with Avery."

"Rich?" Jane demanded, ignoring Tasha's voice of reason.

"The victim has been identified as Avery," Rich admitted.

Jane lost the color in her face, but her lack of expression didn't change.

"I need to go…" Jane suddenly turned away.

"You can't go!" Tasha argued.

"It's my _daughter_!" Jane reminded her with a catch in her voice. It was the first crack in her armor.

"We'll go with you," Patterson insisted.

"This could be a set up," Rich worried, "How often does the media report a story _and _disclose the name of the victim at the same time?"

"He's right," Tasha realized, "They might have attacked Avery to draw you out."

"It worked," Jane said going to the cabinet where they kept their weapons.

"What are you going to do?" Rich worried as he watched her draw out numerous weapons.

"Stop this," Jane said simply.

"That doesn't sound good," Rich worried, his fingers flying over the keys to his computer.

"Jane," Patterson wanted to stop what was happening, but had no idea how.

"Tell Kurt…" Jane hesitated, "I love him."

"Tell him yourself," Rich denied and suddenly the door burst opened and Kurt was there.

"Kurt!" Jane was shocked.

"Thanks Rich," Kurt said, but his eyes were only for his wife. He was thankful he hadn't gotten very far before Rich contacted him.

"They shot Avery!" Suddenly Jane's emotions broke and tears began to pour down her face.

Kurt pulled her against his chest tightly.

"We need Intel," Kurt looked over to Patterson. The look on his face so closely mirrored Jane's determined expression that Tasha blinked.

"I'm on it," She assured him, relief in her voice. Having Jane running into such an obvious setup without Kurt's strong voice of reason had scared her.

"I have to go to the hospital!" Jane insisted, her face buried in his chest.

"We'll head that way," Kurt assured her, "Keep us updated."

Watching them leave Patterson looked over at Tasha. "Would she shoot Avery?"

"Without question," Tasha confirmed turning to go get Reade.

"What are we going to do?" Patterson worried.

"Back them up," Tasha insisted, "If they wanted a war, that's what they'll get."

Watching her leave Patterson turned to share a moment of fear with Rich.

"This is a set up," She was sure.

"Agreed," Rich confirmed, "But keeping Jane from going to her daughter is not an option."

"Then we need to give them something more important to do…" Patterson insisted.

"I think the World could end," Rich argued, "But Mad Maddie will still be focused on this…"

"She will," Patterson confirmed, "But if we thin out her ranks…"

"Take away her government cronies," Rich started to nod, "They at least stand a chance."

Suddenly Reade and Tasha reentered the room. They both wore the same determined expressions. Without a word they grabbed their own weapons and followed after Jane and Kurt.

"We need to hurry," Patterson insisted.

"I'm already on it," Rich assured her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane had gathered her composure as she sat silently next to Kurt.

He kept glancing over at her in concern.

"You okay?" He worried, reaching for her hand.

"I thought she was safe away from me," Jane whispered.

"This isn't your fault," Kurt insisted.

"Fault doesn't matter," Jane denied, "Avery has been shot and is critically injured. That's all that matters now."

Kurt felt his heart break for Jane. She'd worked so hard to establish a relationship with Avery. After having her stolen away and working so hard to win her back, for this to happen was beyond cruel.

He didn't want Jane to blame herself, but he felt a huge sense of responsibility for what's happened. After all the time he'd thought he was at fault for Avery getting killed to realize that he actually might be devastated him. He should have insisted that she go into hiding. She'd been so determined not to let the actions of others affect her life she'd been adamant about remaining in school. They had her false identity ready. Sara had wanted Avery to go with her and Sawyer…

"She's strong," Kurt reminded Jane, "Like her mother. She's not dead."

"We can't leave her there where they can still get to her and we can't take her away from the care she needs." Jane worried, "What do we do?"

"We call in a favor," Kurt insisted, "Get someone we trust to watch over her until she can be moved."

"Who?" Jane worried, "Keaton, Allie, Sara…"

"I think I know who we can trust," Kurt looked over at her.

"Who?"

"Nas," Kurt suggested.

"She's NSA," Jane reminded him, "We can't just expect her to turn her back on that…again."

"Let her decide," Kurt insisted. He knew asking her to risk her career for them again wasn't fair, but this was his family, he had to ask.

Jane watched him dial silently her thoughts on her daughter. She felt her hand shake as she pushed her hair behind her ear. Was Avery even still alive?

Kurt hung up the phone and realized that Jane was staring blankly out the front windshield.

"Jane," He drew her attention back to the present, "Nas is on the way over to the hospital, she's going to ensure Avery is taken care of. She's authorized to place Avery into protective custody as a potential witness to our alleged crimes."

"If Avery is even still alive," Jane worried.

"She has your fire," Kurt reminded her with a catch in his voice, "Don't count her out yet."

Looking over at her husband, Jane felt her love for him catch her heart. He loved Avery, she knew he did. Reaching over she threaded her fingers through his and they became each other's lifeline, the overwhelming burden of their concern tempered by the unconditional support that was always waiting for them within the other's embrace.

"I love you," Jane whispered.

"I love you too," Kurt pulled her hand up and kissed the back of it. "Let's go see what we can find out about our daughter."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You wrote a manifesto?" Patterson said in disbelief.

"Every crazy, government hating, nuclear bomber writes a manifesto," Rich insisted, "We have to sell this."

"It's like…" Patterson leaned over his shoulder, "Twenty pages. How'd you write that so fast?"

"I might…might…"Rich held up his hand, "Have saved this as a rough draft years ago before I was reformed."

"Tell me you did not _ever_ have a nuclear weapon," Patterson pleaded.

"I didn't use it," Rich reminded her.

Shaking her head she elected to abandon their conversation, "Did it work?"

"Oh," Rich confirmed, "Of course, every Federal Agency in New York and the East Coast is on high alert. We are currently their priority."

"I hacked into the hospital records," Patterson told him, "Avery made it through the surgery."

"That's great!" Rich said in relief.

"I've already called Kurt," Patterson explained, "It was never a life threatening injury. It was a trap."

"So what are they going to do now?" Rich worried.

"Nas is on the way to the hospital to take Avery into her protective custody," Patterson explained.

"So the others are on the way back?" Rich asked in a relieved voice.

"Reade and Tasha are," Patterson agreed, "Jane is determined to see Avery for herself."

"That's…" Rich hesitated at Patterson's raised eyebrows, "Understandable…but they know it's a trap. Can't they wait until Nas takes her from the hospital."

"You want to call Jane and suggest that?" Patterson asked him.

"Nooooo," Rich denied immediately.

"I didn't think so," Patterson said pointedly.

"I just hope they don't get killed or worse," Rich worried.

"Or worse?" Patterson scoffed.

Thinking about his time with the CIA Rich said seriously, "Or worse…"


	10. Chapter 10

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane stood in the shadows and watched as Nas entered the hospital. Kurt stood next to her, his arm around her and he watched _her_. The concern on his face lost in the shadows.

"Jane," He pulled her closer, "She's going to be okay."

"I know," Jane agreed, "But if it wasn't for me…"

"This isn't your fault," Kurt insisted.

"How can this not be my fault?" Jane finally turned to look up at him.

"You've been targeted by an evil woman with a lot of power," Kurt reminded her.

"Sheppard was right to take Avery from me," Jane insisted, "What kind of life would she have had?"

"Don't say that!" Kurt denied, "You're a great mother to both Avery and Bethany. I can't wait for us to have children of our own. There is nobody I want that with but you."  
"Kurt…" Jane reached up and placed her hand against his stubble cheek gently, "Look at all the pain I cause the people closest to me. I ruined Roman's life, killed Sheppard, the teams on the run and even you have to admit in the time that you've known me…it hasn't exactly been moonlight and roses."

"We've faced some challenges," Kurt agreed, "But none of it is your fault. Every moment of these past few years has been worth it, because now I have you."

Jane closed her eyes and leaned into Kurt. He kissed her forehead gently.

"I don't know what my life would be like without you," She whispered into his neck.

"Let's not find out," He nuzzled her ear.

She leaned back and gave him a wavering smile.

He closed the distance between them and gently saluted her lips.

"I wished I could see her," Jane admitted, looking back toward the hospital.

"It's too risky," Kurt denied, "All of this was a set up to draw you in."

"My head knows that," Jane agreed, "But all my heart wants is to see her."

"Nas is going to watch out for her," Kurt assured Jane, "Once she has her secure we'll try to make it happen."  
Suddenly Nas appeared at the hospital emergency room entrance.

Jane stiffened when she realized that Nas was pushing Avery in a wheel chair.

She was followed out by two agents wearing FBI vests.

It was clear that they were arguing with her, but she ignored them and continued to the curb where a car was waiting. Jane watched as Nas ensured that Avery was loaded inside the vehicle before she turned back to the men trailing her. The conversation was obviously tense, but too far away for them to hear.

"Do you think they're going to try to stop her?" Jane worried.

"I think they're going to try," Kurt admitted, "I don't think they're going to succeed."

Suddenly several other vehicles pulled up to the Emergency Exit doors.

"What's happening?" Jane worried. She'd been relieved to see Avery climb into the car on her own. It reassured her that her injuries were not life threatening, but with every moment that passed Jane could feel her tension gathering.

Kurt was resting his hand on his weapon as he watched the scene unfold.

Madeline had arrived and with her was Mathew Weitz.

Nas didn't back down. It was only after the first initial tense exchange that Jane realized that Weitz was siding with Nas. She didn't know what to think of that.

More cars arrived. Nas now had backup. While the argument continued, Nas calmly turned back to the SUV where Avery was waiting and climbed inside. Jane let out an unsteady breath as the vehicle pulled away.

"She did it," Jane said in relief.

"I'm glad we got her when we did," Kurt agreed, "If we had waited any longer, Madeline would have tried to take her."

"She wouldn't have succeeded" Jane denied.

"No," Kurt agreed, "She wouldn't have."

"We better go," Jane said as her daughter disappeared into the night.

"I'm with you," Kurt assured her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This isn't working," Tasha told Reade in frustration.

"We're still alive," Reade pointed out.

"But that's all we are," Tasha said as she paced back and forth in agitation.

"You need to calm down," Reade insisted.

"No," Tasha denied, "You need to get wound up."

"What good is that going to do?" Reade said annoyingly calm.

"Lives are being destroyed," Tasha reminded him, "First it was us, now it's Brianna, Allie and Keaton too. Madeline could have killed Avery! When is it going to stop?"

"I don't know when," Reade admitted, "But given enough time, we'll get her."

"What's she doing in the mean time?" Tasha insisted, "Who knows what she's doing at the NYO. She could be setting criminals free, using FBI resources to ruin other people's lives…"

"We're doing the best we can," Reade rubbed his face in agitation. He knew Tasha was right, but they didn't yet have a way to stop her.

"We've spent too much time playing defense," Tasha growled, "We need to go on the offense for once."

"What are you suggesting?" Reade liked the sound of this.

"We start taking some of her players off the field." Tasha suggested.

"How?" Reade demanded, "We can't exactly take any of them into custody. You're not suggesting…"

"Killing them?" Tasha finished for him,

When he just looked at her she assured him, "No, but we need to weaken her and the only way to do that is take away the people giving her the power."

"So who do we start with? Weitz?" Reade suggested.

"No," Tasha denied, "He's her pawn, we need someone that _she_ relies on…"

"What about her lawyer?" Reade suggested with a little grin, "That would hurt her."

"Let's do it," Tasha smiled in anticipation.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We can't just go taking people off the street," Kurt protested when he and Jane returned.

"Then what _are_ we supposed to do?" Tasha asked him aggressively, "Wait for her to become President?"

"Now," Patterson tried to intervene, "We _are_ already on the FBI's most wanted list."

"For things we are innocent of doing," Kurt reminded them back, "If we become the criminals they're saying we are, then what do we have left?"

"Our lives," Tasha argued.

"No," Kurt insisted, "Our existence. The lives we left behind will be gone forever."

"What if _we_ don't take him," Jane said in speculation.

"You mean hire someone to take him?" Rich tried to verify.

"No," Jane denied shooting Kurt a reassuring look, "We can't be the only people that want him out of the way…"

"You want someone else to do the dirty work for us," Rich realized with a little smile.

"What'd you have in mind?" Patterson asked her.

"The file you sent us listed twelve people that Madeline had killed that were on the HCI Global board. The Mexican Cartel is still upset over their hacker Del Toro. Cathy's boyfriend was killed…"

"By us," Reade reminded her.

"She doesn't know that," Jane insisted, "Any of those people would love to find out what Madeline has planned. They want their own revenge."

"The problem with that is that all of those people _will actually_ kill him," Kurt reminded her, "He's better off alive. We might be able to get him to turn on Madeline to save himself."

"Okay," Jane conceded, "What if we don't make him accessible to those people, we just put the word out that he is pivotal in her plans. Then he'll be forced into hiding too. That takes him out of play."

"That's not bad," Patterson said hopefully.

"Not if he hides with Madeline," Tasha argued.

"What if he thinks _she's_ the one that turned on him?" Jane suggested.

"So you want to take him out of play by making each of them think the other turned on them?" Rich realized, "Looks like Roman wasn't the only evil genius in your family…"

"Rich," Patterson chided.

"What?" Rich insisted, "It's a compliment."

Jane knew he wasn't trying to hurt her, but that part of her that she left behind still made her uncomfortable. She looked over to Kurt.

He could read her every expression and closed the distance between them and pulled her in, "I love every part of you," He whispered in assurance.

She leaned into him in relief.

"What if we do get him to run?" Reade argued, "If he goes into hiding, how will _we_ ever find him?"

"I could offer him an out," Nigel suggested. The tension he caused the group was wearing on him. This allowed him to help, but from a distance. "Use my training to…encourage him to turn on Madeline."

"You're training as a therapist or as a torturer?" Rich tried to clarify.

"A therapist," Nigel said in exasperation.

"Just checking…" Rich held up his hands.

"So what do we use to get them to turn on each other?" Reade asked.

"If we make Madeline think that Shirley let it slip to her kids that she was accused of killing her husband…" Tasha suggested.

"Then Madeline will _really_ turn on him," Patterson said.

"There would be no turning back from that," Reade agreed.

"Then Nigel offers him a safe haven," Kurt nodded, "It could work."

"It would get rid of him and throw her off her game when her kids demand answers," Jane suggested.

"Looks like we're on offense," Tasha looked over to Reade in satisfaction.

He smiled back at her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane looked over at Tasha as they entered the bar.

"Are you sure he's not going to recognize you?" Jane verified.

"I'm sure," Tasha insisted, "Even if he had met me, he won't know me looking like this."

Reade looked over at Kurt and they shared a moment of male disbelief.

"He'll remember you," Reade insisted, "So have you met him or not?"

"I haven't," Tasha growled, "But you don't know…"

"I know," Reade interrupted her, "You're unforgettable."

Tasha's outrage faded at his sweet comment, "Oh."

"We'll be the lookout," Kurt assured them, "If you need anything…"

"You'll be the first to know," Jane insisted.

Watching them head toward their target Reade and Kurt chose a table that allowed them to keep an eye on the door, while still keeping Jane and Tasha within sight.

"How can they be so completely clueless about the attention they get?" Reade asked Kurt.

"It's because they don't use their looks to accomplish their goals that it doesn't occur to them." Kurt suggested, "They are capable on every level, looks are low on the scale of things that matter to them."

"I guess," Reade agreed, "But getting noticed has nothing to do with their use of feminine whiles and more to do with the guy that's looking."

"Well," Kurt scanned the bar, "They can look, but they better not touch."

"Why, are you going to kick their ass?" Reade smiled.

"No," Kurt denied, "I'm going to kick whatever is left of it after Jane's done."

"Let's hope everyone keeps their hands to themselves," Reade rubbed his neck, "We can't afford the attention."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane and Tasha made their way over to the bar where Madeline's son was sitting. He was alone. They didn't engage with him directly but sat one stool away.

"I can't believe I was so stupid," Jane told Tasha, "He was married and I still believed him when he said he was going to leave her."

"It's not your fault," Tasha insisted, "He used you."

"I knew he was a mistake," Jane agreed, "Who can believe such a high priced lawyer? He argues for a living…"

"I don't know what you ever saw in him," Tasha sipped her drink, "He wasn't exactly fantasy material, hell even his name was weak…I swear if my last name was Shirley I'd change it."

Jane noted the Madeline's son turned toward them and looked.

"If I thought his wife was bad," Jane went on, "It was nothing compared to his "big client."

"What big client?" Tasha asked with interest.

"There was this woman…Madeline someone," Jane explained, "She called him more than his wife!"

"Why?"

"He let it slip one time," Jane lowered her voice slightly, she knew whispers often drew more attention than regular speech. "She killed her husband, poisoned him."

"She killed her husband?" Tasha repeated loudly in shock.

"Shhhh," Jane hushed her, "He wasn't supposed to tell me that."

"Is he representing her for that?" Tasha lowered her voice.

"No," Jane insisted, "She hasn't been charged. She's now some big wig with the FBI. She just got some type of oversite position."

"If figures," Tasha said in an angry voice, "If she could kill her own husband, who else could she kill?"

"They had kids," Jane agreed, "They're adults now, but can you imagine finding out your Mom was wanted for killing your Dad?"

"No," Tasha denied, "You're better off without this guy."

Suddenly Madeline's son stood up and threw some money on the bar.

Watching him storm out of the building Jane looked back at Tasha with a smile.

"We got him."

"Yes," Tasha returned her smile, "We did…"

Reade watched the man leave before turning back to Kurt, "I'm glad these ladies are on our side."

Smiling Kurt looked over to where his wife was walking toward him, a serious look on her face until she met his eyes. The smile she gifted him made his heart turn over.

"They make all of this worth it," Kurt agreed absently. He hadn't known when he first met Jane just how utterly necessary she would become, but he knew now. Standing he greeted the woman that completed him. She walked into his arms like she was home and he wouldn't have it any other way.


	11. Chapter 11

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane shifted uncomfortably. Flashbacks to being buried in that coffin made sweat break out on her brow. Even with all her discomfort she was more concerned about Kurt. He'd reluctantly agreed that she would go in alone to copy Shirely's computer hard drive. The access point had been small and he'd realized going with her would just slow them down.

She'd already infiltrated Shirley's office for information when the alarm had been tripped. The plan to separate Madeline from her attorney had gone flawlessly. Shirley was currently on the run, but Madeline was on the warpath.

Her son's had turned on her and if she'd been angry before, she was homicidal now.

Jane had already downloaded the contents of the computer when the siren sounded. She'd barely made it back into the vent before the office door had flown open. She hadn't recognized the first man, but the second person through the door she did know. It was Dwire. He should have been in for life. Madeline had obviously not wasted any time recruiting.

"We need to make sure nothings left," Dwire instructed the other man.

"I've got this," The second man insisted, "This isn't my first job like this."

Jane didn't like the sound of that. When they began to pour the flammable liquid on every surface she knew she was in trouble. No way could she make it through the vents in time. She also couldn't exactly exit the vent either.

"Hurry up," Dwire urged, "You set off the alarm so the police are on the way."

"Hey," The other man protested, "That wasn't my fault. You gave me the wrong security code."

"They must have changed it after the lawyer went AWOL." Dwire dismissed.

"Light it and let's go!"

Jane heard the whoosh as the flame ignited everything in the room. Giving up stealth for haste she began making her way to the nearest vent access that wasn't currently on fire. Kurt was going to be going out of his mind…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kurt turned to Reade in concern when the buildings alarm began to sound.

"I thought Patterson was handling that," He worried.

"She disconnected the alarms that Jane would cross," Tasha explained, "Not the entire building."

"So what?" Reade looked at Tasha, "Someone else set off the alarms?"

"Unless Jane is seriously losing her edge," Tasha agreed.

"Let's move," Kurt was already standing, "Jane's been compromised."

Before they could close the distance to the office they noticed an eerie glow that began to spread.

"It's on fire!" Tasha realized in horror.

Kurt felt his breath catch before he broke into a full run. This couldn't be happening…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane kicked out the vent and dropped down into the reception area.

Coughing she stayed low and headed for the window. Taking out her gun she fired two shots before she realized the glass was bulletproof. Closing her eyes she headed toward the front door. It didn't take her very long to realize that was no longer an option. Apparently, Dwire had taken the accelerant all the way to the exit before lighting it.

There was a back door…Jane tried to think, but couldn't remember where it was. Coughing she stumbled in what she thought was the right direction. The smoke surrounding her was making it hard to breathe…hard to think.

She began to crawl, staying as low to the ground as possible. Her only thought at this point was Kurt. She would not leave him by dying this way…

Kurt kicked open the back door with more than a little desperation. Whatever accelerant they had used was very effective. The building was already fully engulfed. He could hear the sirens in the distance, but nothing mattered at this point but getting to his wife. Jane was in there and he wasn't coming out without her.

The smoke billowed past him as he rushed inside. He couldn't see anything.

"Jane!" He roared over the fire.

There was no response.

Tasha had gone to check where Jane entered the building and Reade was in the front. When the dysfunctional sprinklers suddenly came to life Kurt knew that Patterson was working behind the scenes to help them.

"Jane!" He called again moving further into the building.

"Kurt…" A weak voice answered him.

Turning he rushed forward only to all but fall on top of her.

"Jane!" He reached down and pulled her up against him. She was trying to help, but her uncoordinated efforts really pushed home just how close he was to losing her.

Coughing he carried her toward the only exit left. Before he could reach the door he encountered Reade and Tasha already inside.

Reade immediately helped him support Jane as they raced back to the exit.

Once they cleared the building they didn't stop, but moved into the woods at the back of the property.

"Is she okay?" Tasha demanded even as she bent over coughing harshly.

Kurt couldn't answer her. He had no idea if she was going to be okay.

Jane was coughing, her eyes watering as she tried to catch her breath.

"I'm," She coughed some more, "Okay."

She clearly needed oxygen. Reade and Tasha shared a look of concern.

"Take it easy," Kurt urged her when she tried to sit up.

"We need to go," Jane insisted her voice horse.

"Give yourself a minute," Kurt worried, looking down into her precious soot covered face.

"If we're caught," Jane began to cough some more.

"She's right," Tasha insisted, "We need to move."

Kurt reluctantly helped Jane up and he and Reade supported her as they began to head back to where they'd left their vehicle.

Out of the darkness Rich suddenly appeared, "We figured you needed this."

Looking at the oxygen tank he was carrying Kurt's brow furrowed, "Where'd you get that?"

Rich slipped the mask over Jane's face and said without shame, "I stole it from the ambulance."

"You approached the emergency responders?" Tasha demanded, "You know they film those scenes to catch the arsonist?"

"Yeah," Rich confirmed, "I know."

"They're going to think that _you_ burned down the building," Reade worried.

"Yeah," Rich agreed, "If I'm not careful I might get put on the FBI's most wanted list…oh right."

"Rich you could have been caught!" Tasha scowled at him. He needed to take this seriously.

"Jane needed this," Rich said simply, "And I wasn't caught, so relax."

They made it to the van and climbed inside. Reade drove while Kurt held Jane on his lap and soothed back her hair.

Rich watched them with a worried expression.

"Do you know the odds of them burning down this office tonight before we could get a copy of his hard drive?" He asked casually.

"Pretty good apparently," Reade said from the driver seat.

"Actually, pretty remote," Rich denied.

Jane tried to take the mask off her face. Kurt gently put it back on.

So instead she reached into her pocket to produce the portable hard drive which she handed over to Rich.

"You got it?" He asked her in disbelief.

At her nod he broke into a huge grin, "Do you know the odds of you getting this right _before_ they burned down his office?"

"No," Tasha denied, "And we don't care."

"It's Jane," Rich went on as if she hadn't spoken, "She's the random element they never anticipate."

"That's good right?" Reade reminded him.

"Oh," Rich agreed still watching Jane and Kurt, "Very good. Let's hope they continue to underestimate her, it gives us the edge."

Looking down into his wife's weary soot covered face Kurt's arms tightened around her. He knew she was an asset to the team, but she was irreplaceable to him. All he wanted to do was protect her from everything he knew was coming.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane stood under the shower and let the water pour over her. Her chest burned from the smoke and her throat was raw. She wanted to get the smell of smoke off her, but soaping up seemed like too much effort.

Then Kurt was there.

"Let me help you," He pulled her back to rest against him. She watched his hands as he wet a wash cloth and began to leather it up.

He reached for her arm as she watched him scrub at the soot until it was gone before moving over to her other arm.

Once he was done he brought the cloth up her neck and over her face. She closed her eyes at his tender administrations. He was careful with her and he took the time to clean behind her ears before he rinsed out the cloth and laid it down. He then reached for the shampoo. Suds, rinse. Suds again, rinse. He then applied a liberal amount of conditioner before he reached again for the soap. Her body was next and she watched him as he knelt before her. Reaching out she ran a hand over his head gently. He always took such good care of her…

He looked back up at her with a smile.

"Almost done," He assured her. "Then you can get some rest."

"I'm sorry you were worried," She said hoarsely.

"You shouldn't have gone in alone," Kurt dismissed her concern, "That's on me."

"No," Jane denied stopping him and turning his face toward her. "It's not anyone's fault. It was Dwire."

"Dwire?" Kurt stopped what he was doing before continuing. "That's not good."

"No," Jane agreed, "Madeline's been recruiting."

"Was he alone?" Kurt asked her.

"No," She denied, "But I didn't recognize the man with him."

"Rinse out your hair," He urged her running the cloth over his own skin with more force and little care.

She did as he requested and then reached for the cloth.

"I've got this," Kurt leaned in to kiss her, "Do you need help drying off?"

"I'm fine," Jane insisted resting her forehead against his.

Kurt watched her as she left the stall before quickly finishing up himself.

It had been dangerous when they were FBI Agents, but they'd had the state of the art resources and plenty of backup. Now… it was so much more dangerous. Thinking back to all that Jane had already been through, he was struck anew with just how amazing she was. She'd lived this life before and she still was the most empathetic and sensitive person he knew. Full of strength and determination, but grounded in the choice to do what was right. He didn't know how she did that. All of them, the entire team had undergone various stages in transformation as a result of being on the run, but Jane she remained constant. She didn't rage about their circumstances, or bemoan their fate. She just did what had to be done without complaint.

When he turned off the water and opened the door, Jane reached over to hand him his towel. He took it as he watched her towel dry her hair. He loved every part of her, but it wasn't until this happened that he understood just how truly remarkable she was. He just hoped that one day she had the life she deserved.

Jane was trying to be quick, but everything was a momentous effort. Looking into the mirror she saw Kurt drying off and shot him a quick little grin. She never got tired of that sight.

Wrapping her hair up, she turned to face him.

"Meet you on the bed?" She suggested.

"To sleep," He agreed.

At her look of disappointment it was his turn to grin.

"Bet I can change your mind," She said over her shoulder as she walked away. Seeing the gentle sway of her hips and the teasing in her eyes he forgot what he was doing.

He knew she could…but was determined to take care of her. He dried off quickly. Following after her he stopped in the doorway. She was lying sprawled across the bed, asleep.

With a tender look he turned off the lights and moved over to join her. She grumbled when he shifted her over and pulled back the covers but sighed when he pulled her against his chest.

He held her a long time before following her into sleep. Her occasional cough reminding him not to waste a moment of their time together.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Did you get it done?" Madeline demanded.

"Just as you requested," Dwire assured her.

"And you weren't seen?" Madeline continued.

"I know my job," Dwire said impatiently.

Madeline's jaw tightened at his snapping reply.

She turned on the television to the news. It didn't take long before the story came on. She was about to turn it off when the camera swept the scene. She recognized him immediately, even with his change in appearance. Grabbing the remote she rewound the feed. Pausing the screen she studied him. He was carrying an oxygen tank. There was only one reason for him to be doing that.

"Who's that?" Dwire asked her in confusion.

"Nobody," Madeline denied as she moved over to her desk.

"You can see there's not going to be anything left," Dwire said with confidence.

Expecting to be paid, his eyes widened when instead she pulled a gun out of the drawer. He died with the surprise look still on his face.

Stepping around his body Madeline moved back over to the tv screen.

Rich Dot Com carrying an oxygen tank, she knew what that meant. Dwire had failed.

Turning away from the screen she knocked the contents of the shelf off onto the floor.

She'd known that this FBI team was formidable, but she had underestimated them. The drone attack should have killed them, but it hadn't. They should have run when they hit the FBI's most wanted list, but they hadn't. It was almost like they didn't have an ounce of self-preservation in them. They didn't react like anyone she'd ever gone up against and that made them dangerous.

Now they had information from Shirely's office.

Who knew what kind of sensitive information he might have had there? After his mistake that alerted her son's to the possibility that their father had been murdered, she couldn't trust anyone. Her husband hadn't realized what she was capable of, but to her surprise her son's seemed to believe what they heard was possible. They must have gotten her intelligence. Unfortunately, that meant that she had to make sure they couldn't prove what they accused her of.

She'd ordered her husband's body be removed from the cemetery and cremated. She knew her son's would be angry, but without proof she would be safe. She should have done that all along, but she hadn't wanted any suspicions. It had been a mistake she would rectify today.

The phone on her desk rang and she turned back to be confronted by Dwire's body. She needed to get him removed and she knew just who to call. The current Director of the FBI shouldn't have too much trouble getting rid of a body. Dwire was a felon after all.

Seeing the caller ID she picked up the phone and asked, "Did you get it done?"

"No," The voice on the other end of the phone admitted.

"What?" She wasn't amused, "Why not?"

When he hesitated she had her first feeling of unease.

"Somebody stole it," Was reluctantly relayed.

"How would they even know where he was buried?" She demanded.

"They must have hacked our records."

"Which grave was disturbed?" She asked tensely. One would be devastating, the other catastrophic.

She thought herself so clever for burying her husband's underhanded dealings in the space meant for his body, but now she wasn't so sure.

"Well?" She demanded at his continued silence.

"Both," He told her.

She slammed down the phone and her mind raced. This was serious. For the first time she realized that it wasn't the FBI she had to destroy, it was this team. The game was almost over and she wouldn't lose. She didn't care what she had to do…


	12. Chapter 12

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane woke up with Kurt wrapped around her. She smiled.

They'd been taking turns keeping watch, so going to bed _and _waking up with Kurt was a rare treat.

She closed her eyes and savored the feel of him around her. He was so warm. His arm was around her waist and she wished that they could stay like this forever.

Suddenly his hand twitched sharply and her eyes flew to his face. The anguish there stole her breath.

He was still sleeping, but clearly even in his dreams he found no respite.

Her hand came up to cup his cheek and she tried to rouse him.

"Kurt," She whispered, "Wake up."

His eyes jerked open and for a moment she could read panic in them before he focused on her and all of his tension relaxed.

"What were you dreaming of?" She worried.

"Fire," He said simply.

Jane's eyes closed in remorse.

"Let's talk about Colorado," She said when she opened her eyes.

"What? Why?" Kurt shook his head.

"We spend so much time concentrating on the bad stuff," She explained, "I want to talk about the good stuff and our plans for the future."

"We don't know what any of this will look like when it's all over," Kurt said thoughtfully, "Who knows if Allie and Connor will take Bethany back to Colorado or not."

"Well," Jane admitted, "I don't care where we end up as long as we're together and get to see Bethany grow up."

Kurt smiled at that proclamation.

"What about seeing _our _kids grow up?" Kurt asked her.

"You still want kids?" Jane verified her face close enough to his for him to feel her breath against his skin.

"At least four," He teased her.

"Four," Jane repeated her face shocked, "Four with Bethany and Avery…or four more?"

"Four more," Kurt said with no hesitation.

Jane's eyes got wide.

"Come on," He teased her, "Don't tell me the woman not afraid of anything is afraid of having her own children."

"Kurt, they would outnumber us," She pointed out.

"I think we could handle it," He assured her.

"What if they're like…us?" She suggested with raised eyebrows.

"I'd like nothing more," Kurt insisted.

"Teenage us," She stressed.

At that he paused. He'd been constantly on the edge of expulsion from school. His anger at the world had been impressive enough to draw Sheppard's attention.

"I wasn't that bad," He lied shamelessly.

She just looked at him.

"Okay," He conceded, "I was pretty bad, but you were okay."

"Okay?" Jane shook her head, "I was a lethal fighting machine that had a child when I was sixteen."

"I still want four," He warned her.

"Are you a glutton for punishment?" She asked him.  
"Come on," He smiled at her teasing, "Four miniatures of you running around? It'd be great."

"Avery's like me," She reminded him.

"She has your fire," Kurt agreed with a smile.

"She's not exactly easy," Jane insisted.

"What's going on?" Kurt worried with a frown, "Don't you want kids anymore?"

"It's not that," Jane hastily assured him, "I'm not worried about the kids being like us…but what if I'm like Sheppard?"

"You're _nothing _like her," Kurt denied forcefully.

"You said yourself Sheppard trained Roman and I to manipulate people…I don't…I don't…"

"Jane," Kurt stopped her, "You have the best heart of anyone I know. I'm not worried about what kind of mother you're going to be. I trust you completely. I think you're going to be a wonderful mother, for what it's worth."

Hearing her own words to him turned back on her Jane smiled up at Kurt sweetly.

"Thank you," She whispered.

"So…four?" Kurt continued to tease.

She gave him a come hither smile and closed the distance between them, "Hmmm…four." The reverberation of her response made him shiver.

"Or more," He was all in. Whatever kind of life he was facing as long as it included Jane, he was good. Everything else would be a bonus, but she was his necessity.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You want them to do _what_?" Reade asked Rich in surprise.

"I don't necessarily _want_ Jane and what's her name to go undercover in a Brothel…" Rich insisted, "But there is someone there that can really help our cause."

"Do you expect us to just go up to the door and request a room?" Tasha asked him in disbelief.

"You aren't going to be "working" Rich said with air quotes, "I know the manager and he's willing to help me."

"Then why don't you go in?" Reade demanded.

"Our mark doesn't swing that way," Rich denied, "Believe me I tried…"

"Rich," Kurt interrupted him in exasperation.

"Look," Patterson tried to reel in the conversation, "We've identified a close associate of Madeline's that went on the run _before_ she could kill him."

"You could say he's living everyday like it's his last…" Rich pointed out, "Hence the Brothel…"

"Can't we just nab him _before _he goes in?" Kurt demanded.

"Well," Rich pulled up photos, "He travels with a number of really burly henchmen. The only time he's not well guarded is when he's…shall we say indisposed."

"Even if we could get in there," Jane argued, "He might have a regular he prefers."

"To either of you?" Rich scoffed, "I don't think so."

"How do you plan to make sure Jane and Tasha are only available to…" Reade hesitated.

"Arthur Limp," Rich filled in for him.

"Are you kidding?" Tasha demanded.

"You can't make this stuff up," Rich insisted.

"Guess that's why he's paying for it." Jane said with raised eyebrows.

"All joking aside," Patterson said seriously, "He's got a reputation for not exactly being careful with the women."

"I thought if you ruffed up the women," Reade worried, "They stopped letting you come back."

"I don't want to know why you know that," Tasha told him, her face set.

"In this case," Patterson went on, "He pays them so much money the owner overlooks his indiscretions. That's why the manager is willing to help."

"What do you mean by indiscretions?" Kurt demanded.

Rich hit a few buttons and pictures came up of multiple women battered and bruised.

"No way," Kurt immediately denied, "They are not going in there."

"I'll go," Tasha insisted, "Looks like he needs to get his ass kicked."

"Well you aren't going alone," Jane insisted, shooting Kurt a reassuring look.

"He's not going to talk," Reade argued, "So what's the point?"

"Oh, he'll talk," Rich insisted, "We aren't looking to use him as a prosecution witness, we just need to get the dirt on Madeline so we have something to help him…be candid."

"You're going to drug him?" Kurt said his jaw set.

"Drug is such a strong word," Rich held out his hands.

"Yes," Patterson interrupted bluntly.

At Kurt's set face and hard jaw Jane drew his attention, "Kurt, can I have a moment?"

Watching them leave Rich turned to Patterson, "He's not going for it. I told you he wasn't going to agree!"

Seeing the earnest way Jane spoke to him and the way he looked away from her as he listened. Patterson and Tasha shared a look.

"What?" Rich demanded.

"We didn't need to convince Kurt," Patterson insisted, "We just needed to convince Jane. Once she saw the pictures of those women, she was onboard."

"Oh…" Rich smiled, "I get it. You convince her and _she _convinces him!"

"I wouldn't get too happy just yet," Reade warned them, "We're going to be the ones sitting with him while they're in there."

At that their smiles predictably faded.

When Jane and Weller returned, Jane was holding Kurt's arm and he was looking displeased.

"So it's a go?" Rich verified.

Kurt's abrupt nod didn't surprise any of them.

"We'll be careful," Jane looked over at Tasha.

"We've got this," Tasha agreed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We've got this," Jane taunted Tasha.

"Hey," Tasha protested pulling up her top, "I did not pick out these outfits."

"I wish we could blame Rich," Jane said pulling her skirt further down, "But this is what they provide the girls to wear."

"I still blame him," Tasha laughed up at Jane.

"Works for me," She grinned back.

"So they're going to give us the signal when Arthur arrives?" Tasha confirmed.

"Yeah," Jane agreed, "Between the girls that really do work here hiding and us being new…one of us is sure to be picked."

"What's the other one supposed to do?" Tasha worried.

"Rich assured me they had a plan," Jane told her.

"Rich assured you?" Tasha clarified.

"Point taken…" Jane conceded.

"It's a good thing we covered all your tattoos before we came in," Tasha told her, looking at the amount of Jane's exposed skin. "It's also a good thing that Weller isn't here to see that outfit."

"My problem isn't with the amount of skin," Jane denied, "Although it's pretty horrible, it's with the inability to have our weapons."

"You _are_ a weapon," Tasha reminded her.

Jane smiled, "Says the woman that broke out of prison."

Tasha laughed, "That didn't exactly go well."

"It helped bring down Sandstorm," Jane reminded her.

"Well this time let's see if we can avoid the trunk of a car…" Tasha suggested.

"I'll see what I can do," Jane agreed with a rueful smile.

"They're here," One of the women warned them with a look of fear.

Jane and Tasha got serious.

Opening the door they found a group of seriously intimidating men. It was obvious they were hired to protect the less than impressive older man with the paunchy physique.

Arthur immediately took note of them, but Jane and Tasha didn't approach them.

"Who needs five guards?" Tasha whispered to Jane.

"You saw the picture of what he likes to do," Jane reminded her, "He probably needs every one of those guards to keep from getting his ass kicked."

"It's not going to help him today," Tasha said with a scowl.

Suddenly Arthur walked over toward them, "Let's go."

Tasha looked up at Jane and she mentally deducted points for his technique. Clearly this guy had no redeeming qualities.

Tasha didn't say a word, but stepped to where he indicated.

Jane watched her go with a worried frown. Mr. Limp clearly had no idea what he'd just gotten himself into and Jane just hoped Tasha didn't kill him.

Turning back to the room she realized that she was now the center of attention. The reason so many guards accompanied him suddenly became apparent. This wasn't going to be good.

While her attention was on this new threat she didn't see the man that walked up behind her. When the arm came around her waist she tensed immediately before the familiarity of it registered.

Looking over her shoulder she'd never been more relieved.

"Shall we?" Kurt asked her.

Jane took the arm he offered her and they trailed after Tasha.

"I didn't know you were coming in," Jane said casually.

"We knew whoever wasn't chosen was going to be facing a challenge." Kurt reminded her.

Remembering the scowls on the guard's faces when they left she urged him, "Please tell me you're armed."

"I'm armed," Kurt assured her. "Nice…outfit."

"What outfit?" Jane teased him, "This is mostly just my skin."

"I noticed," Kurt said with a frown.

"I didn't exactly pick it," Jane reminded him. "How long do we have?"

"Arthur pays for the entire night," Kurt assured her.

"How long did you pay for?" Jane asked him.

"I get the rest of our lives," He reminded her.

"Very funny," She turned toward him and gave him a quick peck on his lips.

"Very serious," He denied.

"Let me get changed," Jane said absently, "By then Tasha will have him drugged and we can get on with the interrogation."

Kurt wasn't sorry when the little piece of nothing Jane was wearing hit the floor. As she pulled on the clothes she'd worn in he felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. When he'd walked through the door and seen those men ogling Jane he'd not been amused. She was a strikingly beautiful woman, but that wasn't what made her so special. It was her heart that had turned his desire into love. The woman she was on the inside that mattered most.

"Do you think she's had enough time?" Jane worried.

Suddenly there was a knock on the wall.

Kurt and Jane shared a look.

"I guess so."

The room had connecting doors, so Jane knocked back and the door opened, to her surprise it was Reade.

"What are you doing in here?" Jane asked in surprise.

"Hiding in the closet like a stalker," Tasha told Jane in exasperation.

"Not a stalker," Reade denied, "A closet specter."

"More like spectator," Tasha argued, "When I saw you peeking out I almost had a heart attack."

"Oh," Reade asked her, "Was that before he tore the strap from your top, or after you kicked him in the family jewels?"

"Does it matter?" Tasha insisted, "He's drugged."

"It kind of matters," Reade said with a scowl.  
"I could have drugged him myself," Tasha insisted.

"I helped you," Reade told her, "You're welcome."

Jane knew Tasha was embarrassed and Reade was worried, so she tried to intervene.

"At least we're not in the trunk," Jane offered.

Reade just looked at her and Tasha gave a rueful smile, "Works for me."

The interrogation went smoothly and within a few hours they had considerably more information than Madeline would have wanted.

"What do we do with him now?" Tasha demanded.

"We can't just leave him here," Jane warned them, "Who knows what will happen to the ladies we leave behind."

"Rich has this covered," Reade looked over at Kurt with a smile.

"Did he call in the police?" Tasha worried.

"No," Reade denied, "Worse."

"What's worse?" Jane worried.

"He notified his wife." Reade said with a smile, "She's been looking for him ever since he fled."

"This guy is known for abusing women," Tasha worried.

"Oh, no," Reade insisted, "She's got him by the short hairs. It's her money and she definitely wears the pants in that relationship."

Suddenly, there was a hard banging on the door and Jane looked over at it with raised eyebrows.

"Time to go," Reade told Kurt.

"Arthur I know you're in there!" A loud and angry voice said from the other side, "Open the door!"

"The little woman has arrived," Reade noted.

When she began to batter the door Jane stopped worrying. This was her kind of woman.

They filed back into the adjoining room quickly. Within seconds the sound of the door crashing against the wall met their ears.

"We need to get out of here before she comes looking for who was in the room with him," Jane suggested.

"The cars out back," Kurt assured them.

They filed out and Reade held the door open for Tasha.

She looked at it and then him.

"What?" He demanded, "Did you want me to open the trunk?"

She stepped past him with a glare.

"Since when do you open doors for me?" She asked him.

"Oh," He held up his hands, "Sorry, open your own ass door."

She sat down and then demanded, "Aren't you going to shut it?"

"Why do I feel like there is no winning at this point?" He asked Kurt.

"Thinking you _could_ win was your mistake," Kurt laughed at him.

Jane pushed Kurt's arm as he grinned at her.

"Very funny," She told him.

Leaving the compound as the sun climbed Jane couldn't stop her smile. They were one step closer to taking Madeline down and getting their life back. One step closer to all the promise she saw in Kurt's eyes. Squeezing his hand she smiled when he brought her hand up and kissed it tenderly.


	13. Chapter 13

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you sure those are the two women you met?" Madeline demanded.

Arthur looked down at the pictures and nodded in jerky agitation.

"What did you tell them?" Madeline demanded.

"NOTHING!" Arthur insisted, "I didn't tell them anything, I swear."

Madeline just looked at him.

Shifting uncomfortably Arthur blurted out, "They drugged me!"

"Which is it?" Madeline asked him calmly, "You didn't tell them anything…or they drugged you?"

"I don't remember everything that happened," Arthur said reluctantly, "But I haven't been around for a while, so anything I knew would have been old intel."

"Exactly why haven't you been around?" Madeline raised her eyebrows.

"It was…the Cartel," Arthur gulped out, "They were targeting us because of…"

"Because of?" Madeline asked when he hesitated.

"Because of their hacker," Arthur finished. He could feel the sweat on his forehead beading up.

"I see," Madeline took a sip of her tea.

Sitting tensely Arthur waited.

"Aren't you going to join me?" Madeline asked him pointedly.

Looking down at the cup he felt his stomach knot. She was testing him to see if he still trusted her. He knew about her husband and the HCI Global board members.

Picking up the cup with shaking hands he smiled over at her sickly and took a sip. He could identify that it was tea and not coffee, but whether or not it was poisoned he had no idea.

Madeline stood up and he immediately put down the cup to rise too.

When the room began to spin he looked over at her in alarm.

"You really shouldn't have trusted me," She smiled.

As his knees gave out she watched him fall with no expression. Too bad she hadn't gotten to him before they had…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane paced. She knew there was activity around her, but she didn't see any of it.

"Why haven't we heard anything?" She asked Patterson impatiently.

"I'm sure they're fine," Patterson insisted, "They'll contact us when they have it."

"I should have gone with him," Jane said impatiently.

"We needed you here to translate the intel we got from Shirley's computer." Patterson reminded her.

"I could have done that when we got back," Jane made another loop around the room.

"He has both Reade and Rich with him, he'll be fine," Tasha sounded calm, but Jane could read the same worry in her eyes that she felt.

"They should have been back hours ago!" Jane insisted, "I'm going after them…"  
"No!" Patterson argued, "You said you'd wait here. You know one wrong move and we could give away their location."  
"If it hasn't already been compromised!" Jane argued, "What if they don't come back? The longer we wait the more likely it is that we'll never find them."

"Don't say that," Patterson protested.

"She's right," Tasha looked over at Patterson, "Something's wrong. We have to go."

"Well, you aren't leaving me behind," Patterson relented.

Turning the ladies went to gear up, all determined to do whatever it took to get their family back.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Now what?" Reade looked over at Kurt.

"The compound has been abandoned," Kurt said reasonably, "So nobody is going to find us. _We_ need to find a way out."

"You know the teams coming so let's just wait for them to get here." Reade said with a worried look at Weller.

"Weller told them to absolutely not come," Rich reminded Reade in exasperation.

"Do you really think Jane is going to idly wait when Kurt doesn't return?" Reade demanded.

Rich didn't have to think, "Okay, when do you think they might come? I'm cold and Kurt's been a little bit broken."

Kurt's shoulder was dislocated and he had a cut above his eye where he'd hit when the trap door dropped them down into the sub-basement.

"I'm not broken," Kurt automatically argued, "Just a little banged up."

"You look like you were the loser in a Zombie Apocalypse," Rich insisted, "I didn't know you could lose that much blood and remain conscious."

"Rich," Reade chided, looking over at Kurt in concern. He did look worse for wear. "Maybe you should sit back down."

"We need to find a way out of here," Kurt reminded them.

"If the team is coming," Rich denied, "Why not just wait for them?"

"It will be hours before they know for sure somethings wrong," Kurt pointed out, "Then they'll wait a little longer because we told them to. Then they'll come."

"That's too long!" Rich protested.

"Then I guess we better work on finding a way out," Kurt growled.

"The only way out of here is to climb out," Reade said in frustration, "Even if we had a rope Kurt would never make it out with his hurt arm."

Knowing the last thing he wanted was to draw the rest of his family into a warehouse rigged with various types of booby traps Kurt said with absolute determination, "I could climb out."

"Then let's find that rope," Rich began rummaging through things discarded in the corner.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Afreen looked down at the screen and then up at Mathew Weitz.

"I think I found them," She whispered.

"What?" He stepped closer and demanded, "Where?"

"There's an abandoned warehouse Madeline was using for some of her less than legal dealings. They moved out right before the team was targeted. We didn't find anything of value when we searched it, but I left a motion sensor. It was tripped." Afreen whispered.

"That could be anyone," Weitz said in frustration, "Even a transient."

"It wasn't," Afreen insisted pulling up street cameras in the area.

When Weitz caught sight of the three person team he demanded, "Get that off the screen!"

She immediately cut the feed.

"What do we do?" She worried.

"I'm going out there," Weitz told her.

"If Madeline finds out," Afreen protested.

"Then someone else will have to get rid of the bodies she keeps lying around." Weitz said in disgust.

"Be careful," She worried.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane, Tasha and Patterson entered the building guns drawn expecting the worst.

When everything was quiet they shared a look and headed deeper in.

"This isn't right," Tasha looked over at Jane with a troubled frown.

"It doesn't make any sense," Patterson agreed, "There are no obvious signs of a fight. No broken glass or bullet casings."

"Maybe whatever happened, happened before they got here?" Tasha suggested.

Jane was scanning the building. It was an open and empty space except for the offices in the back.

"Let's check the office space," She told them, "I'll go up the stairs on the right."

"We've got the left," Tasha told her.

Jane's heart was racing, but it wasn't from the threat in front of her. Where was Kurt? Was he hurt…or dead? The thought of having to face the rest of her life without him made the hand holding her gun tremble.

She started up the steps warily all the while listening for anything out of the ordinary, hearing nothing. Halfway up the steps it happened. The wood beneath her feet gave way and she started to fall. Dropping her weapon she grasped for something to hold onto. Since the majority of the steps had dropped there weren't many options. At the last second she was able to catch the edge of the railing. Hanging there she knew her grip was slipping.

"Hey Jane," Rich said from below her, "Fancy meeting you here."

She looked down in surprise. It was a long way down. She spotted Rich and Reade, but her eyes skimmed over them looking for Kurt. When she saw him what strength she had left deserted her. The blood that covered his face and shirt made her breath catch. As she started to slip she pushed back from the wall. Expecting to hit hard she was surprised when hands caught her.

Kurt used his remaining good arm to cushion her fall. He felt a rush of pain at the impact, but that was nothing like the pain he would have felt if she'd been injured and he could have stopped it.

"What happened?" She worried, her hands immediately going to his head.

"Rich fell on me," Kurt explained.

At Jane's glare, Rich protested, "I didn't mean to."

Just as the steps started to close Tasha and Patterson appeared at the top.

Patterson was quick to wedge a piece of broken banister into the angle to keep the door open.

"You guys okay?" Tasha demanded looking down at them.

"Kurt's hurt," Jane told them, anxiety leaking into her voice.

"I'm fine," Kurt insisted, trying to reassure her.

"You're in pain," Jane argued, "You might have internal bleeding…"

"Hey," Rich protested, "I'm not that heavy!"

"I dislocated my shoulder," Kurt explained, "I don't have internal bleeding."

Jane immediately turned her attention to his shoulder.

"Why did you catch me if you have a dislocated shoulder?" She worried.

"Because you were falling," Kurt explained patiently.

Jane examined him for damage.

"We need to put it back into place." She worried.

"We can't do that here!" Rich insisted.

"We have to," Jane argued, "The longer we wait the more damage he could have."

"Do it," Kurt urged her.

Jane extended his arm and placed her hand over the dislocated joint. Taking a deep breath she rotated his arm while applying pressure. The bone slipped back into place with a sickening pop. Kurt drew in a harsh breath before bending over double to keep from passing out.

Jane supported him against her. Her stomach was rolling and for a moment she thought she was going to be sick. Hurting him went against every instinct she had.

"Thanks," He whispered.

"We have to get out of here," Tasha insisted, "We've been here too long already."

Reade used the ramp created by the fallen stairs to climb out first, Rich followed after him with a concerned look back at Kurt and Jane.

Jane insisted Kurt go next. She wanted to be behind him if he had trouble pulling himself out.

They both made it to the top without incident.

"Did you have time to find the hidden document?" Tasha asked them.

"No," Reade denied, "We never made it to the offices."

"Let's get them and get out of here." Patterson urged.

"I thought you all were dead," The voice sounded loud in the empty space.

Jane brought her gun up and pointed it at the man walking toward them.

"Don't come any closer," She warned Weitz.

"I'm not here to hurt you," Mathew insisted, his hands raised.

"Says the man that sent a drone to kill us," Tasha reminded him.

"I didn't send that drone!" Mathew argued, "Madeline did that with the help of Lucas Nash the new Director of National Intelligence. I don't guess you need to be told how he got that job…"

"What do you want?" Reade demanded.

"I want to help you take Madeline down…" Weitz said, "She's crazy!"

"What do you think we've been trying to do?" Rich reminded him.

"You're doing it wrong," Weitz insisted, "You need to come in and tell them what you know."

"I'm not real keen on going back to a CIA Black Site," Rich denied.

"If you stay out here she's going to kill you," Weitz argued. "If it was up to her you would _never _make it back into custody. If I take you in and you tell them what you know…we can stop her!"

"What's to prevent her from just killing us once we're in custody?" Tasha demanded.

"She's corrupt," Weitz agreed, "And she's surrounded herself with people she's corrupted, but not everyone is in on it. There are people working to stop her, but we don't have enough evidence. If you testify against her, we can stop her."

"Nobody's going to believe us," Tasha argued, "You know what they do to problems, they get rid of them."

"Don't turn yourself into the FBI," Weitz agreed, "And I'm not saying CIA…but what about the NSA?"

"How do we know she hasn't corrupted them?" Jane asked seriously. "You're still around, what's she got on you?"

"The drone strike," Weitz admitted, "It was a set up. Dominic was the one that planted those bombs. I killed an innocent man."

Jane closed her eyes and turned toward Kurt. He reached out to support her.

"I didn't know what was happening until it was too late." Weitz was clearly upset, "She's ruining lives, and destroying good people…we have to do something."

"We're trying!" Tasha said in frustration. She knew firsthand just how easily Madeline would destroy everything without a tinge of remorse.

"Let me take you in," Weitz pleaded, "Tell Nas what you know, give her whatever evidence you have. If you don't Madeline will eventually find you and you won't get a chance to say anything."

"We can't trust him," Jane insisted, "He's been working with her."

"He's right though," Reade insisted, "Working outside the law we're going to end up corrupting any evidence that might be used to convict her."

"You can't be considering this," Tasha looked at him seriously.

"We need someone willing to take the chance to work on the inside of the law." Reade insisted.

"And what if you end up in a CIA Black Site?" Rich demanded, "Having been there myself I really don't recommend it. If you don't believe me ask Jane."

"We have to risk it," Reade insisted.

"I'll go," Jane offered abruptly.

"NO!" Kurt denied immediately.

"If this is a double cross," Jane said softly, "I can handle the Black Site. I know what to expect, I've been trained for this."

"No way," Kurt denied, "You aren't going."

Rich looked over at Jane silently. He would never willingly put himself in threat of ever going back to a Black Site. Her strength was humbling.

"It can't be Jane," Weitz denied, "She was a member of Sandstorm, it would give Madeline an excuse. It has to be someone else."

"I'll go," Reade told them, "I should have seen what was happening and stopped it long before it got to this point."

"We all should have seen it," Tasha reminded him.

"I was the Assistant Director of the FBI NYO office," Reade reminded her, "I had access to more resources and more classified information. I was too busy wondering if I could still trust you to realize what was happening. It has to be me."

"I'll go with you," Tasha immediately volunteered.

"No," Reade denied, "The CIA will demand jurisdiction of you."

"He's right," Patterson told her.

"So we're supposed to just let him go?" Tasha demanded with her voice catching.

"Tasha…" Reade walked over to her, "When you went undercover, you did it because you felt you had to. I need to do this."

When Reade pulled Tasha against him Jane looked over a Kurt with a worried expression.

Kurt pulled her against him with his good arm.

Jane turned to Mathew, "If you betray us, Madeline will be the least of your problems…"

"Understood," Weitz held up his hands. Madeline might scare him, but getting on the wrong side of Jane Doe was terrifying.


	14. Chapter 14

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"He's going to be okay," Patterson insisted.

Tasha looked over at her with a serious expression, "How can he think we can trust Weitz?"

"Can you contact Nas?" Jane looked over at Kurt with a worried expression. She knew he was hurting.

Kurt reached for his phone. Jane was driving and Patterson was trying to reassure Tasha in the back seat.

Kurt was silent while he sent the text.

Jane's heart was heavy. She should have been the one to go. If they send Reade to a Black Site he'll never be the same. He believes in right and wrong. Taking his oath mattered. It was so unfair.

"She's going to let us know when she takes Reade into custody." Kurt assured them.

Jane nodded, but didn't say anything. Now she was worried about Nas. First she'd come to Avery's aid and now they were expecting her to watch out for Reade. Madeline's next target had to be Nas.

"Jane?" Kurt looked over at her with a concerned expression.

"Are you okay?" She worried, turning to look over at him quickly.

He reached for her hand with his good arm, "I'm fine."

She held his hand unconsciously tight.

He knew she was worried. He was worried too.

"We need to move," Rich said from the very back seat.

"What?" Patterson protested, "We just got everything up and running."

"Reade might tell them where we are," Rich worried.

"He's not going to tell them!" Tasha protested.

"You don't know…" Rich insisted.

"I _do _know," Tasha argued.

"We need to move," Kurt cut into the budding argument, "Not because I think Reade's going to tell them, but because if Weitz can find us, we're being too predictable."

"Patterson," Tasha turned to her, "Tell them why we need to stay."

"Tasha," Patterson wanted to be there for her friend, but she knew they had to go.

"We _have _to stay!" Tasha was adamant.

"What's going on?" Kurt turned back to look at her in concern.

"She wants Reade to be able to find us again if he has to," Jane explained simply.

Tasha looked away.

"Tasha," Patterson reached for her hand, "He's going to be okay."

"Reade's always been by the book," Tasha worried, "And Madeline is willing to do whatever it takes. I should have gone with him."

"This was killing him," Jane said finally, "We've all made questionable choices. Patterson and Rich and the Three Blind Mice, Tasha and her undercover, Kurt reburying Taylor and marrying me…"

"Marrying you was not a questionable choice," Kurt couldn't let that stand.

Jane momentarily closed her eyes before focusing back on the road. She didn't say anything but she hoped he always felt that way.

"Even Mayfair said that Reade was almost too by the book," Tasha admitted.

"We need someone on the right side of the law validating what we find." Kurt admitted "Anything we do could compromise the case."

"If we don't build up the case against her," Patterson worried, "What are we supposed to do?"

"Weaken her," Jane immediately answered.

"How?" Patterson was becoming frustrated.

"We need more allies," Jane conceded, "But I've already tapped all the resources I had. Sandstorm was completely dismantled…"

"Not completely," Tasha suddenly admitted. She'd been keeping a secret, but with Reade at risk, she would use whatever resource she needed to.

"What do you mean?" Jane worried.

"Jane…" Tasha hesitated.

Kurt looked back at Tasha with a frown.

"What's going on?" He demanded.

"I know where to find a Sandstorm Asset," Tasha admitted.

"There's someone besides Bordon?" Patterson demanded, the fact that she reverted back to his alias a testament to her distress.

Jane didn't ask any questions. She was afraid to.

They pulled into the warehouse and as the doors closed behind them nobody moved. Jane stared straight ahead as she waited for what she didn't know. The longer it took Tasha to say any more, the more her tension built.

"Who is it?" She finally demanded, still looking straight ahead.

"It's Roman," Tasha finally told them.

"That's not possible," Jane denied, her hands clenched tightly around the steering wheel.

"What are you saying?" Kurt was watching Jane with a worried expression.

"Tasha?" Patterson demanded at her continued silence.

"Blake didn't actually kill him," Tasha admitted.

"What are you talking about?" Jane finally turned to look at her anger transforming her face, "I held him while he died…"

"We needed to get him out of the picture." Tasha told her with quick desperation.

"We?" Rich questioned.

"The CIA?" Kurt asked her.

"No," Tasha denied, "They don't know."

"Then who?" Patterson demanded.

"Blake was never our mark," Tasha admitted, "She was our asset. When she found out what her Father was doing and how Roman fit into it all, she wanted to help. I went under cover with her help."

"So when she died…" Rich realized, "You were on your own."

"She's not dead," Tasha denied.

"What?" Kurt asked with a tick in his jaw.

"I knew how Madeline killed her husband, so we let her believe Blake was dead. Madeline was always our target." Tasha admitted.

"So who helped you stage Roman's death if it wasn't the CIA?" Rich demanded.

"That was the price Blake placed on helping me." Tasha admitted. "She apparently really cared for Roman."

"So the plane crash was really just a cover to hide the fact that she wasn't poisoned?" Kurt realized.

"Yes," Tasha confirmed.

"What about the other KCI Board Members?" Patterson demanded.

"We didn't realize that Madeline intended to kill them," Tasha explained.

"So they really died?" Rich confirmed.

Jane was sitting perfectly still, not asking any questions or looking at any of the others.

"What about the zip poisoning?" Jane demanded.

"Dr. Roga contacted him when she had the cure." Tasha explained.

"So you knew about Dr. Roga and the cure months ago?" Kurt demanded.

"At the time I was deep cover and didn't even know that Jane was sick," Tasha pleaded, "By the time I got back you'd already brought Dr. Roga in…"

"Why didn't she say anything about Roman being alive?" Rich demanded.

"Dr. Roga owed Roman," Patterson realized, "She was protecting him."

"From us?" Jane asked with a flat voice.

"She did tell you how much he loved you," Rich reminded her gently.

"He loved me so much he was letting me die and follow cryptic clues instead of coming forward to help me." Jane pushed open the door to get out.

"Jane," Kurt worried as he watched her all but escaped the vehicle.

"How could you do this to her?" Patterson asked emotionally.

"I was trying to help her," Tasha insisted, "I should have turned Roman into the authorities, but I knew how important he was to Jane!"

"Why didn't you tell her when you came back?" Kurt demanded, "Or any of us?"

"At first I was still trying to gain your trust back," Tasha admitted.

"Not exactly the way to go about it," Rich offered in an aside.

"Then everything happened so fast," Tasha told them, "I…"

Kurt opened the door to go after his wife.

"Kurt," Tasha called to him, "Tell her I'm sorry, I should have told her!"

Kurt just inclined his head without saying anything.

Patterson made no move to leave the car.

Rich was looking back and forth between the two of them for once without making an inappropriate comment.

"I'm sorry," Tasha said in the ensuing silence.

Patterson opened the door to get out.

"Where are you going?" Tasha worried.

"To check on Jane," Patterson told her.

Once the door shut Tasha closed her eyes painfully.

"You know," Rich made her jerk. She'd forgotten he was back there. "For someone that they consider family, you keep a lot of things to yourself."

"I couldn't tell them," Tasha insisted, "I was breaking the law, I didn't want to take them down with me."

"Well," Rich climbed over the seat and turned to look at her, "We've been fugitives from the law for months now and it wasn't until you needed something that you brought it up."

"I knew they would hate me for keeping this from them," Tasha argued, "After Nigel…how could I admit it?"

"See," Rich pointed out, "It was the lie by omission that hurt them. What you did for Jane was wonderful, but she literally had a mental break after losing her brother. She needed to know he was alive, but the one person who knew, didn't tell her. Not to protect _her_, you were protecting _yourself."_

"I risked everything to help Jane," Tasha all but pleaded.

"I hope she can see it that way," Rich said as he opened the door. "She'll probably forgive you, she's forgiven a lot, but she trusted you. How many times can you lie before that is no longer true?"

Tasha listened to the door slam and rested her head back against the seat. Rich was right. How low had she sunk for Rich to feel the need to intervene? In his world of many shades of grey her actions caused protest then she didn't need to wonder how wrong she'd been. She didn't know how to make this right, she didn't even know if there was a way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane was trembling. Roman was alive. He wasn't dead, he wasn't poisoned and she hadn't unwittingly killed him. She rarely lost control, but she knew this was going to be one of those times. She took a big shuttering breath and on the exhale the tears came. She cried not for his loss, but for hers. She'd destroyed his love for her there could be no other question. He had been willing to sit back and watch her die. She had only ever wanted to save him and he hated her for it. She still loved him.

"Jane," Kurt was suddenly kneeling beside her. She turned to look up at him in confusion, so lost in her pain and introspection she hadn't heard him come into their room.

"Kurt!" Jane scooted toward him desperately. Suddenly, she needed the shelter of his loving embrace more than ever and he didn't make her wait. Even as she fell against him he pulled her closer. He didn't offer hollow condolences or shallow platitudes. He simply held her while the storm inside her raged fiercely.

"He's alive," Jane finally looked up at him and even through her devastation Kurt could see the love and relief she was feeling.

"Dr. Roga told you how much he loved you," Kurt reminded her. "He didn't do this to you."

"Why didn't he come forward if he had the cure?" Jane said with a hurt look.

"I don't know," Kurt admitted, "If he'd come forward he'd have gone back to being hunted and this time he would have taken Tasha down with him. We also know that he never solved the map leading to the Book of Secrets so he had no way to retrieve those last Stanton cells we needed."

Jane wanted to believe, but the brother she knew and loved wouldn't have simply negotiated for the Stanton cells, he would have stolen them. Roman wasn't like her husband, at one time he'd been willing to do whatever it took to protect her and she'd felt the same. He might be alive, but he was lost to her all the same.

"Jane?" Patterson knocked on the door softly, "Are you okay?"

Jane looked over to the door and said, "You can come in."

Patterson entered and stopped when she caught sight of the two of them sitting on the floor.

"Oh…Jane, I'm sorry," And then she was on the other side of Jane kneeling down and enveloping them both.

"I'm grateful she saved him," Jane admitted, "That's the one thing I couldn't do."

"She should have told you," Patterson was still hurting from finding out about Nigel, so she knew the betrayal Jane was struggling with.

"I understand why she didn't," Jane admitted, "But…it still hurts."

"We need to contact him," Patterson said finally, "See if he can help us."

"I need to see him," Jane insisted.

"Then I'll take you," Kurt immediately offered, "He might not have come forward when you were sick, but it was his discoveries that saved you."

At that reminder Jane looked up at Kurt with a grateful expression. She knew after everything that Roman had done, Kurt's offer showed her just how much he loved her. That unwavering support and caring helped her keep the shattered pieces of her heart from splintering into oblivion.

"I love you," She told him seriously.

"And I love you," He assured her with a kiss to her forehead.

Kurt and Patterson shared a silent look of concern over Jane's bent head. They didn't know if things had just gotten better or if it was just the opposite, opposite.


	15. Chapter 15

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tasha stood outside Jane and Weller's door but hesitated. She needed to tell them the rest.

Just as she was about to knock the door opened.

"Tasha," Patterson said in surprise.

"There's more," Tasha admitted.

"What more?" Kurt demanded looking down at Jane in concern.

"He's not dead," Tasha confirmed, "But he's not exactly free either."

"What?" Jane asked in confusion.

"Blake insisted that he be committed." Tasha explained.

"He's in a mental institution?" Kurt confirmed.

"He has been this entire time," Tasha verified.

"Are he and Blake…" Jane trailed off.

"No," Tasha denied, "She might care for him, but she didn't trust him anymore."

"So he didn't choose to stay away?" Jane confirmed. Some of her broken heart mended.

"He probably has no idea what's going on," Tasha denied.

"I want to see him," Jane insisted.

"It's not far," Tasha admitted, "But we can't just walk in there. Our pictures been all over the news, they'll recognize us for sure."

"We can't go there," Kurt agreed, "But can we get him out to come here?"

"You want to bring him here?" Patterson repeated in dismay.

"How else is he going to help us?" Tasha reminded her.

"Well, I'm sorry, but the last time I had contact with him, he was trying to have me killed," Patterson reminded her.

"That was before he was cured of the zip poisoning," Jane insisted.

"He's still dangerous," Kurt said gently.

"He'll always be dangerous," Jane admitted, "But he doesn't just kill people indiscriminately."

"Jane," Kurt placed his hands on her shoulders as he turned to face her, "I know you love him, but you can't trust him. Not yet, maybe not ever."

"I'll be careful," Jane promised solemnly.

"How do we get him here?" Kurt asked Patterson.

"I'll try to get him transported," Patterson assured them, "We'll pick him up in route."

As Tasha and Patterson turned to go back to the computer, Kurt remained silent.

"I know you don't want him here," Jane said softly.

"You love him and he might hurt you," Kurt didn't deny her statement, "I've watched him do that over and over again. No, I don't want him here, but I understand why you need him."

"Thank you," Jane whispered as she placed a kiss on his collar bone.

He burrowed his hand into her hair and held her against him tightly. How could this possibly work out?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Patterson…" Tasha looked over at her in concern.

"Let's just clear the air right now," Patterson turned to face Tasha, "Are you hiding any more life altering secrets from the rest of us?"

"NO!" Tasha insisted, "That's everything."  
"See," Patterson turned back to the computer, "The problem with your assurance is that I don't trust you anymore."

Rich looked away and rubbed his neck uncomfortably. Patty Cakes had sass.

"I should have told you all," Tasha knew she deserved that comment.

"Does Reade know?" Patterson demanded.

"No," Tasha admitted, "I didn't tell anyone."

"He's going to love that," Patterson pointed out.

"What was I supposed to do?" Tasha asked in frustration, "I couldn't let Roman die and I couldn't let him go to a black site. He was Jane's brother!"

"I thought you said it was Blake that insisted," Patterson reminded her.

"I didn't exactly argue with her," Tasha insisted.

"So what was it?" Patterson demanded, "You couldn't turn your back on Jane's brother or Blake demanded he get help so you let him live?"

"It was both!" Tasha admitted, "I knew how much Jane loved him and it was the price I had to pay for Blake's cooperation."

"That's convenient," Patterson said flatly.

"Uhhh," Rich interrupted, "Guys. We have a problem."  
Patterson moved to look down at his monitor.

"He escaped?" She asked in alarm.

"When?" Tasha worried.

"Over a month ago," Rich explained.

"Why would he wait so long to break out?" Tasha didn't understand.

"That's when the news broadcast our pictures as wanted felons," Patterson reminded her.

"So you think he saw that the FBI had turned on Jane and then he broke out?" Rich clarified.

"This is so not good," Patterson worried.

"How do we find him now?" Tasha wondered.

"You don't," Jane said from the doorway, "We let him find me."

"It's too risky," Kurt immediately protested. "If he can find you so can Madeline."

"We're moving anyway," Jane reminded them, "I only need to be exposed for a little while. That's all it will take."

"What if he still wants to kill you?" Rich worried.

"He doesn't," Jane insisted, "I don't think he ever did."

"He faked it pretty well then," Rich insisted.

"Jane…" Kurt protested.

"I know my brother," She reminded him, "Give me a chance to show you who he really is."

"What do we do?" Kurt conceded. He just hoped this decision didn't get them all killed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane stood at the pay phone and took a deep and steadying breath. This was it.

Kurt watched her lift up the receiver from half a block away. He wanted to be close enough to hold her if this didn't work out, but keeping her physically safe was his priority now.

Jane dialed the old Sandstorm number. It was unlikely anyone would answer. After the seventh ring she was about to hang up when suddenly a voice answered, "Joey's pizza."

Jane's eyes closed and she drew in a harsh breath. It was Roman. She'd know his voice anywhere.

"I need a pizza delivered," Jane said.

"Location?"

She gave him the address they'd scouted out earlier.

Roman said nothing else and Jane hung up the phone with a hand that trembled. He was alive.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Roman's heart was racing when he hung up the phone. He'd almost missed her call. After all these weeks of waiting he was finally getting the chance he needed. He wouldn't waste it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Jane started walking toward him, Kurt met her halfway.

"Did he answer?" He worried.

"He did," Jane admitted, "I set up the meet."

"What'd he say?" Kurt asked her.

"Nothing," Jane admitted.

"So you have no idea if he's going to hurt or help you when you meet him." Kurt scowled.

"No," Jane agreed.

"Nas texted me," Kurt told her, "She's got Reade."

"That's a relief, but she needs to be careful," Jane worried, "Drawing Madeline's attention to her could get her killed."

"She assured me that she knows what she's getting into." Kurt insisted.

"So did we," Jane reminded him.

Kurt silently agreed.

"Did she say anything about Avery?" Jane continued.

"She set Avery up in her own version of witness protection," Kurt admitted. "It's completely off the books."

"We're going to owe her," Jane told him.

"Taking down Madeline and her corrupt officials will get her career the boost it needs after Sandstorm." Kurt noted.

"If she lives through it," Jane agreed.

"When are we meeting Roman?" Kurt steered the conversation back to the source of his biggest concern.

"We aren't," Jane denied, "I'm going alone."

"No, you're not," Kurt immediately protested, "What if he's there to kill you?"

"I'm not that easy to kill," Jane reminded him.

"You're also not invincible." Kurt reminded her back.

"Kurt you still don't have full range of motion for your arm and I don't want to spook Roman off before I get a chance to talk to him," Jane admitted.

"I'm going," Kurt would not be dissuaded.

"He might actually _want_ to kill you," Jane worried.

"Then it's better to know that now than later when we're sleeping," Kurt said pragmatically.

She couldn't argue with that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane was nervous. She tried to convince Kurt to watch from a distance, but he wasn't having any of that. He was standing breath close to her. His concern was clear.

"What if he doesn't come?" Jane worried.

_What if he does?_ Kurt thought silently.

Tasha, Rich and Patterson were all watching. To say that none of them were comfortable with this was an understatement.

Rich was the only one besides Jane that was even remotely excited. Roman had become something of a legend to him and he wanted to meet him. Kurt had only shaken his head at his enthusiastic rambling.

Suddenly Jane saw him. Kurt looked over at her when he felt her take his hand. Following her gaze he watched as Roman crossed the street. His eyes glanced off them and scanned the area. It looked like they weren't the only ones on edge.

When he was almost within touching distance, Roman turned his attention to his sister.

"You remember," He realized.

"How'd you know?" She asked him.

"I got your message from the hospital," He reminded her of the message Remi had left for Sheppard so long ago.

"I thought you were dead," Jane's voice held a note of accusation.

"Yeah," Roman rubbed his neck uncomfortably, "I've held your death certificate, it kind of sucks."

Jane winced at that reminder.

"I love you," She said suddenly.

Roman took in a sharp breath. Leaning his head back he looked up. When his eyes fell back on her he opened his arms.

She took a stumbling step forward and he enveloped her tightly.

Kurt watched on none of his tension abated. Both of these two were lethal in close quarters. He wanted the width of the Grand Canyon between them. He held back his concern to give her this moment. He hoped this time it was real.

Roman met Kurt's eyes over Jane's shoulder.

The two men shared a moment of understanding. There was no love lost between them, but they loved the same woman. For her they would try not to kill each other.

"Weller," Roman greeted him.

"Roman," Kurt returned.

Jane took a step back and Kurt took a breath.

"Looks like the FBI turned their backs on you," Roman taunted.

"There's corruption," Kurt argued.

"Isn't there always?" Roman asked him.

"We're trying to clear our names," Kurt explained.

"Well, that could definitely get you killed," Roman smiled.

"We need your help," Jane admitted.

"Why do you think I broke out?" Roman asked her.

"Nobody knows you're alive," Jane worried, "If you help us, you could be exposed."

"You mean I might not have to live my life in a mental institution?" Roman reminded her, "That'd be a shame."

"Are you…" Jane didn't know how to ask if he still wanted to kill them.

"Homicidal?" Roman asked helpfully, "Not right now."

"Cured of the Zip poisoning?" Jane clarified.

"Completely," Roman assured her, "You?"

"It was close," Jane admitted, "But yeah. Thanks for your help with that."

"So what name do you go by now?" Roman asked her curiously, "Remi or Jane?"

"I'm Jane," She said without apology.

"Understood," Roman didn't seem surprised.

"We should probably take this someplace a little less public," Kurt suggested.

"Lead the way," Roman agreed easily.

Jane kept herself between Kurt and Roman. She loved Roman, but she didn't trust him, not with Kurt's wellbeing.

Roman knew what she was doing and he didn't blame her. He _had_ tried to have them all killed.

"Did Patterson enjoy the clues?" Roman asked casually.

"She appreciated the challenge," Jane admitted.

"I'm glad she was able to get the book of cures," Roman admitted.

"She and Rich found it in Peru." Jane explained.

"Rich," Roman smiled, "I have to admit I was surprised when he joined your team. A dark web criminal behind the FBI firewall is quite a risk."

"He's reformed." Jane insisted.

"Aren't we all?" Roman taunted.

Patterson fell into step with them.

"Patterson," Roman greeted her.

"Roman," She returned.

"You seem a little miffed," He pointed out.

"Well, you did try to have me killed," She reminded him.

"You beat out a pretty impressive assassin," Roman noted.

"I'll have you know you ruined my date," Patterson all but growled.

Roman looked at her with a funny expression.

"I'm sorry?" He offered.

"It wouldn't have worked out anyway, you're too picky," Rich fell into step behind them. "I'm Rich."

"I know," Roman acknowledged.

"You look pretty good for a dead guy," Rich couldn't help but notice.

"I'm going to tell Boston," Patterson warned him.

"A guy can look!" Rich protested, "Shheesh."

Roman shared a side look with Jane. She was suppressing her amusement.

"Rich can be…inappropriate," Jane offered.

"All because I'm not too rigid…" Rich began.

"Well at least he's honest," Roman said to Jane.

"That's not what I meant!" Rich protested.

Kurt listened to their banter silently. He'd trusted Roman before. Believed in him and been betrayed. He wouldn't get pulled back in again.

Jane watched Kurt with a worried expression. She knew he was right to worry, but she had another chance to save her brother, she just hoped he wasn't here to destroy them.

Tasha was the last to join them.

"Roman," She greeted.

"Zapata," Roman returned.

"You broke out," She said her tone accusing.

"Yeah," Roman conceded, "Didn't kill anyone doing it."

"Well that's something," She said, her tone dry.

"Just so you know," He went on, "I'm not going back either."

"Is that a threat?" Tasha asked him.

"No," Roman denied, "I doubt any of us are going to live through this anyway."

"Well aren't you a ray of sunshine," Rich said.

"Where's the former Assistant Director?" Roman looked around, "Did he actually get killed in the drone strike?"

"He's with Nas," Jane explained, "Trying to work on the system from the inside."

"So he's already dead," Roman noted.

"No," Tasha protested, "He's with Nas."

Roman remain prudently silent. Denial was never healthy, but he'd leave her to find that out on her own…


	16. Chapter 16

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What have you been doing since you escaped?" Kurt asked Roman.

"Finding out everything I could about Madeline Burke and her corrupt officials," Roman admitted.

"Did you find anything we could use?" Rich asked him.

"A few things," Roman admitted, "The big news is that she's crazy."

"That's not news," Patterson denied.

"No," Roman clarified, "I mean actually certified crazy. Her husband had her institutionalized for more than four years."

"He should have left her there," Jane noted.

Kurt winced at her words. He hoped they wouldn't be saying that about Roman.

Roman didn't miss Kurt's reaction and the grin on his face wasn't reassuring.

"I was able to hack into her Doctor's old records," Roman went on, "I think it will help us start chipping away at her defenses."

"When was this?" Patterson asked him.

"Right after her Father died," Roman explained, "Guess she has some Daddy issues."

"Is that worse than Mommy issues?" Rich asked rubbing his hands together.

"I didn't hire an assassin for you," Roman noted, "That might have been a mistake."

"Now…" Rich protested, "You can think those things, but you're not supposed to say them out loud."

"Some might take it as a warning," Roman looked over his shoulder at him.

"Oh," Rich was positively gleeful, "I'm going to like you. You remind me of me."

"He already wants to kill you," Jane told Rich, "You might want to tone it down."

"If only it were that easy," Patterson scoffed.

"Hey, now," Rich protested, "You're going to give Roman the wrong impression of me!"

"Actually," Roman admitted, "I already know quite a bit about you."

"Anything you like?" Rich asked in a come hither voice.

"Rich," Kurt chided.

"Just asking," Rich protested with a scowl, "These guys need to loosen up."

Suddenly Roman's easy banter was gone.

Just when Rich began to become really concerned Roman lunged for Jane.

He just made it. The bullet meant for her head hit the ground a few feet from where they now lay.

"Take cover!" Kurt called to his team even as he reached for his wife.

Roman released Jane, but his eyes weren't on Kurt or the team, they were focused on the roof where the shooter still waited.

Moving over to a car parked on the street Kurt demanded urgently, "Were you hit?"

"No," Jane answered him, the hand not holding her weapon brushed against his cheek in reassurance.

"We need to catch whoever that is," Roman insisted, "They've seen us. It takes away our advantage."

Jane didn't argue because she knew he was right.

"They have the high ground," She noted.

"I'll draw their fire," Roman told her, "You head for the shooter."

Jane didn't protest, they'd worked together on countless missions and she now remembered them all.

"Jane," Kurt worried. The shooter had been targeting her.

"Kurt's with me," Jane told the others.

"I'm with Roman," Patterson said calmly.

"Rich and I will take the back," Tasha responded.

Roman didn't wait for confirmation, but immediately began to move between the cars, Patterson right on his heels.

Jane knew Madeline was responsible when the shooter began firing again.

Any other professional would have cut his losses, but whoever was targeting them couldn't afford to miss. Only the threat of death would make a professional risk getting caught. Whoever was up there feared Madeline more than they feared their targets. That was their biggest mistake.

Kurt watched as Patterson and Roman disappeared and felt his stomach sink. He should have been the one that went with Roman. Patterson was still vulnerable after everything they'd been through.

"Let's move," Jane said as she pushed up and headed for the front entrance.

Kurt pushed his concerns aside and did his best to shadow Jane across the street.

The distraction worked and they made it to the entrance without any more shots being fired.

"We need to head for the roof," Jane insisted.

"I've got the South stairwell," Kurt confirmed.

"I've got the North," Jane assured him.

Kurt met Rich and Zapata as he was pushing open the stairwell door.

"Stop the elevators," Kurt said to Rich as he disappeared.

"On it," Rich assured him as he headed toward the control panel.

Jane made it to the fourth floor before she encountered the man coming down. His face gave him away. The shock and surprise in his eyes had her raising her weapon and warning him, "Drop the bag!"

He did, but when it hit her in the chest it through her off balance. As she tried to catch herself, he reached for his own weapon. Before he could even point she fired. The gun fell from his useless hand and she warned him, "The next one will hurt a lot more."

Desperate men…she'd been able to keep her balance when he threw the bag, but as he tackled her they both went down. Her finger squeezed the trigger even as she felt them fly backwards.

Suddenly several things happened simultaneously, Kurt screamed her name as he came down from the roof and Roman burst through the window that led to the outside fire escape.

Jane was aware of the events, but then she knew nothing at all.

Kurt ripped the now dead assassin off his wife and looked down at her still form.

"Is she dead?" Roman all but roared.

"Kurt!" Patterson gasped out as she climbed through the broken window and rushed down the stairs.

"She's alive," Kurt insisted.

Patterson's hand went to Jane's neck. She'd heard Kurt, but his inability to lose Jane had colored his judgement on more than one occasion.

"She's alive," She looked up at Roman to reassure him.

Just then Jane's eyes fluttered open.

Kurt had been afraid to move her. When she began to sit up he protested, "Take it easy."

"I'm okay," She assured him and it was only then that he pulled her gently against his chest.

She closed her eyes and rested against him as she got her bearings.

Looking to where the assassin lay she worried, "Guess he's not going to answer any questions."

"What's there to say?" Roman reminded her, "We know who sent him."

"We don't know how he found us," Patterson reminded him.

"We're moving anyway," Kurt reminded her.

"Speaking of moving…" Roman hinted.

"We've got to go," Jane agreed standing with Kurt's assistance.

Patterson grabbed the discarded bag while Roman searched the dead man's pockets. He retrieved his phone and used his thumb to unlock the device before quickly changing the passcode.

"Let's go," He handed the phone to Patterson and took the bag she was holding.

It was a subdued group that filed back down the stairs.

Tasha and Rich met them at the bottom.

"Did he get away?" She demanded when she saw them.

"No," Jane denied, wincing at the ache in her head.

Rich took one look at Kurt's worry, Jane's pained expression, Patterson's frustration and Roman's fury and didn't ask anything else.

"How'd you two get upstairs?" Tasha demanded. They'd secured the only avenues up she'd thought.

"You don't want to know," Patterson denied.

Roman had gone up in the next building over and jumped to the fire escape from the fifth floor. Not to be left behind she'd been forced to follow after him. She didn't know which one of them had been more surprised when she made it.

Roman didn't say anything, but he did covertly look over his shoulder at the FBI Tech genius. She'd surprised him, that didn't happen very often.

He was starting to see why she'd survived his hitman. More disconcerting was the fact that he was glad she had. Not needing this type of complication he pushed his thoughts away.

Rich followed behind them with raised eyebrows. This he hadn't anticipated. Then he began to smile, but it was going to be a lot of fun to watch.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They didn't have time to analyze the phone because they needed to bug out before Madeline had a chance to regroup.

"Where did you get all of this tech?" Roman demanded as he helped them disassemble their lab.

"Wizardville," Rich told him cryptically.

"Aw, yes," Roman nodded, "I would have thought the FBI seized your assets."

"They tried," Rich admitted, "But I hid it before they had a chance."

"They must have loved that," Roman said with no mirth.

"Yeah," Rich admitted, "I was a guest of the CIA for a while."

"A guest?" Roman did smile at that, "I hear they're very attentive to their guests."

"Their spa treatments left a lot to be desired." Rich scowled.

"I'll keep that in mind and stay away from their amenities," Roman told him.

"You play Wizardville?" Rich asked him as he wound up some cords.

_Of course he doesn't,_ Patterson thought impatiently. When would he have had the time?  
"I'm a Grand Master," Roman admitted, "I really liked when you hid the anvil in the…stairwell."

"Stairwell," They both said simultaneously.

"Are you developing another level?" Roman asked with interest.

"I had a concept in mind," Patterson admitted, "But then all of this happened so I haven't started writing the program yet."

"You should consider adding false leads so that the game isn't so linear," Roman suggested, "That way the user can replay the game and have different outcomes."

"That's…." Rich waited for her to slam Roman's ideas like she always did… "Brilliant."

Rich blinked and looked over at her in outrage. _What the hell was going on? _He'd tried to give her plenty of good suggestions and she'd dismissed or protested every one.

"Brilliant?" Rich hissed at her, "I told you that four months ago and you told me to mind my own business!"

"At the time you were critiquing my current program," Patterson reminded him with a scowl, "Not suggesting new ideas for the next game."

"I….I…" Rich was too outraged to even come up with a response. This might not be as fun as he thought after all.

He listened silently while they discussed the different levels and what really worked and what could be better. Hadn't this man tried to _kill her_? When had they become so chummy?

"You're right," Roman laughed over at Patterson, "He really hates it."

"Hates what?" Rich asked petulantly.

"To be left out," Patterson smiled over at Rich.

"So you're doing this on purpose?" Rich demanded.

"Of course," Patterson readily admitted, "That's for the whole adoption thing."

"You suck," Rich finally accused her.

She laughed in his face.

"I'm going to go check on Jane," Roman excused himself.

"What's going on?" Rich demanded immediately, "You're way too relaxed around a man who arguably tried to have you killed!"

"He was sick then," Patterson reminded Rich.

"I don't think that's the only reason," He warned her.

"We're all a part of the same team now," Patterson argued, "We need to learn to work together."

"Nigel tried to kill you too and you didn't just brush that aside!" Rich reminded her.

"That was different," Patterson denied.

"There's more than one form of dead?" Rich asked in disbelief.

"Of course not," Patterson scoffed, "I'm not saying I trust Roman, but he is Jane's brother and I knew him from before."

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Rich asked suspiciously.

Remembering her coma induced dream Patterson turned away uncomfortably, "No of course not."

Rich watched her walk away with narrowed eyes. What was going on?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kurt watched as Jane gathered up their few possessions. He knew she was hurting and he wished he could insist she take it easy, but he knew that wasn't their reality. He'd had to satisfy himself with a quick physical inspection when they'd gotten back. She was going to have some killer bruises, but she didn't seem to be broken. He hoped anyway.

"Kurt," Jane stopped what she was doing to come over and wrap her arms around him, "I'm fine. Just a little bruised."

"You could have broken your neck, or been shot." He worried.

"But neither of those things happened," Jane reminded him reaching up to smooth out his furrowed brow.

"But they could have," Kurt said in frustration.

"Roman saved me," Jane reminded him, "That's a good sign, right?"

Remembering that moment Kurt nodded his head in agreement, "He could have let you die, but for all we know he might have been the one that set this all up to begin with."

"You don't really think that," Jane worried.

"I don't know," Kurt admitted.

Jane wished she could reassure him, but she knew exactly how far Roman was willing to go to complete whatever mission he embarked on.

"We'll stay vigilant." She promised.

"I know who you want him to be," Kurt worried.

"I love him," Jane admitted, "But I loved him when he was Sandstorm and I loved him when he didn't have his memory. I even loved him when he was trying to kill me…"

"That's not exactly reassuring," Kurt chided.

"Not to you maybe," Roman said from the doorway, "It means a lot to me."

"Roman!" Jane turned to find him watching her with a soft expression.

"I'm not going to betray you again," Roman assured them, "I know you don't believe that and I don't even blame you, but I just wanted to let you know."

"I want nothing more than for that to be true," Kurt admitted.

"You'll see," Roman insisted, "The rest of us are ready to go."

"Let's go," Kurt picked up the bag Jane packed and followed the one person he would trust with anything and the one person he didn't think he'd ever trust again. He feared that nothing about this situation was going to get any easier.


	17. Chapter 17

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters… Today is my Birthday! So I'm doing what I want, not what I should. As a result, here is another chapter. :D Hope you enjoy...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You know you're supposed to be in custody," Nas reminded Reade.

"It's been two weeks," Reade said in frustration, "The only thing we have is a suspicious death in a stairwell and a whole lot of nothing."

"Did you think you would come in and tell us everything and it would be easy?" Nas asked him with an incredulous expression.

"You know that the corpse in the stairwell was a professional," Reade insisted, "It was within two blocks of the old safe house…"

"I'm sure he was after the team," Nas agreed, "I just don't know how he got that close to them."

"Could we have a leak?" Reade worried.

"You never told us where the team was," Nas gently reminded him, "And now even you don't know. So he had to have found them another way."

"We don't even know if anyone was wounded." Reade was clearly regretting his decision to come in.

"The only blood found was the assassins." Nas insisted.

"What about getting a warrant to dig up Madeline's husband?" Reade asked her.

"See," Nas was getting annoyed, "That's the problem. I need to identify the plot number to legally exhume Mr. Burke, but he's not there anymore is he?"

"No," Reade admitted uncomfortably.

"And exactly what evidence do I have to even request one?" Nas asked pointedly.

"Okay," Reade was beyond frustrated, "Stop telling me what we don't know and can't do and help me figure out what to do next."

"We could exhume the remains because the team moved them…" Nas suggested, "It would fit into the investigation."

"Then Madeline would claim that we just tampered with the evidence." Reade protested.

"You did," Nas reminded him.

"We never opened the coffins!" Reade insisted.

"If we can prove that," Nas reminded him, "Then whatever we find in the coffins becomes a part of the investigation."

When Reade hesitated, Nas gently reminded him, "The team's already on the most wanted list. We need to get them off of it before they aren't taken alive."

Reade reluctantly conceded. "This is why I came in."

"Then let's not waste it," Nas placed her hand on Reade's arm in reassurance.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"They exhumed the body," Patterson announce later that evening.

"It's about time," Tasha took a bite out of her sandwich.

"So far it just added to the charges against us," Rich reminded them.

"Tampering with a corpse is nothing compared to what we're already wanted for," Jane insisted.

"I wish we could find out what was in that other coffin," Tasha wished.

"Why don't you just hack into the NSA database?" Roman asked them.

"It's not as easy as it sounds," Rich denied.

"Didn't Nas give you a back door?" Roman asked Patterson.

"How'd you know that?" She was stunned.

"Wait…wait," Rich held up his hands, "You have access to the NSA database and _he_ knows about it, but I don't?"

"Yes…and no." Patterson explained, "I did get a key to get into the NSA database, but I don't have it now."

"You don't," Roman agreed before holding up his hand, "But I do."

Looking at the silver key he'd been palming Patterson's mouth fell open.

"How'd you get that?" Kurt demanded.

"While Sheppard was putting Phase 2 into motion, I wasn't sure who I could trust. When I saw the key, I knew it would be handy to have, if I lived through the night anyway." Roman explained.

"Didn't you notice it was missing?" Rich asked Patterson with shock.

"A lot happened that night," Patterson admitted, "And Kurt had already advised me against using it…then I left the FBI and never gave it another thought."

"Is that how you found out all the information in the new tattoos?" Jane asked Roman.

"Some of it came from there," He admitted, "Most of it was a little more difficult to come by."

Patterson reached for the keycard and Roman handed it over.

"If we use that…" Jane worried, "Will they be able to trace us?"

"No," Patterson and Roman answered together.

Rich just glared at them.

"Then try and find out what they know," Kurt encouraged.

Rich and Patterson headed for the door.

Looking back Patterson demanded to Roman, "Aren't you coming?"

"In a minute," He assured her.

After they left Jane looked at Roman seriously, "What's with you and Patterson?"

Kurt was glad she'd broached the subject.

"We appreciate the other's abilities." Roman said easily.

"That's it?" Jane demanded.

"What are you asking me?" Roman said easily.

"Patterson's been through a lot," Jane said bluntly, "I don't want her to get the wrong idea."

"I can assure you," Roman laughed softly, "Nobody here sees me as Mr. Right."

"Sometimes that can be…hard to resist." Jane insisted.

"Gee, sis, I passed puberty a few years ago." Roman reminded her.

"Don't hurt her," Jane didn't back down.

"I have no intension of doing that," Roman agreed before he stood up and followed after Rich and Patterson.

Jane watched him go with a worried expression.

"We'll keep an eye out for her," Kurt insisted as he pulled Jane against him in reassurance.

"The worst part," Jane admitted against his chest, "Is that I want nothing more than Roman to be the kind of person that would be good for Patterson."

"I know," He kissed her forehead on pulled her more firmly against him, "I know."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So my sister thinks I should keep my distance from you," Roman told Patterson later that day.

"Good luck with that. We don't exactly have a lot of space here." Patterson said absently still looking at her monitor.

"I don't think you're listening," Roman chided.

"Keep your distance," Patterson finally looked up, "Oh…I get it…keep your distance."

"What do you think?" Roman asked her.

"I think as much as I love your sister she should mind her own business. Anyway, it's not like it's _like that_." She answered, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"It's not?" Roman asked seriously.

"I mean…is it?" She whispered.

"It might be," Roman admitted.

"Exactly when will you know?" She asked him.

"When I find out what you think about all of this." He explained patiently.

"I like you," Patterson admitted, "But you did try to have me killed…so there's that."

"I'm trying to save you now," Roman told her.

"At least you're sister anyway," Patterson scoffed.

"So…" Roman said uncomfortably, "This is a dead end? Not going anywhere?"

"Dead end is a pretty horrible analogy considering our current situation," She chided.

When he dropped his chin and looked at her she relented, "I don't know."

"Good enough," Roman had to admit he was relieved. If there was even a remote chance, he'd take it.

"You were just in love with Blake," Patterson reminded him.

"I wanted a family," Roman admitted, "With Jane out of my life, I grasped at what she represented, not who she was."

"So, anyone would have done?" Patterson worried. She didn't just want to be anyone.

"Then," Roman admitted, "Probably, but I have Jane back in my life now. I'm not going to screw that up again. This isn't about needing family. We've been playing this game now for years, when I planned the tattoos and the clues from the data cash, I did it with you in mind. You're mind has fascinated me for years and since I've been back everything else about you seems equally fascinating."

"Wow," She smiled, "That's pretty good. I'm still not sure. I know just how far you'll go to complete whatever mission you're on and I don't want to be just a tool you use to complete whatever agenda you have in mind this time."

"I'll prove it to you," Roman vowed.

"Well," Patterson turned away to hide her racing heart, "Good luck with that."

He watched her go with a determined expression that might have scared her had she seen it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tasha sat on her bed chewing on her thumb nail. It was a nervous habit that she rarely indulged in. She hadn't thought that being on the run could get worse, but she'd been wrong.

Once Reade left and she'd confessed her darkest secrets she'd become the outcast even among the outcasts. They didn't trust her anymore and she couldn't even blame them. Hell, Patterson even seemed to trust Roman more than she did her and he'd tried to kill her.

She had no idea how to make any of this right or even if there was a way. She missed the team. She felt like she was as alone as when she was with the CIA.

"What are you doing?" Jane asked her from the doorway.

"I'm sitting here wishing I could go back in time and do things differently." Tasha admitted.

"Take if from someone that's spent way too much time doing that, it doesn't work." Jane explained sitting down on the edge of her bed.

"I hate myself," Tasha whispered.

"You've always done this," Jane said kindly.

"What?" Tasha didn't understand.

"Painted things in black and white," Jane explained, "Good and evil."

"I can't do that anymore," Tasha said her voice ironic.

"It was simpler when you could," Jane suggested.

"What piously judge others?" Tasha clarified with a little smile.

"Yeah," Jane shared her smile.

"I made choices to protect the people I love," Tasha explained, "But I hurt you all in the way I did it."

"We're going to get through this," Jane assured her, "Together."

"I hope so," Tasha said earnestly.

When Jane leaned in to hug her Tasha all but fell into her arms.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We're a mess," Jane told Kurt later that evening.

Kurt didn't need any clarification.

"I don't know," Kurt denied, "From where I'm standing things are looking pretty good."

Seeing the look he gave her she felt her face flush.

"Are they?" She moved closer to him.

Kurt ran his lips over her neck and she shivered.

"I'd even go so far as to say perfection." He whispered against her skin.

Her hand slid down his back and over his taunt cheek.

"I couldn't argue with that," She squeezed.

Suddenly she found herself aloft.

"Kurt!" She laughed.

"I think someone needs some TLC," He suggested.

She wasn't going to argue with that.

Sometime later she lay entwined with her husband and ran her hand up and down his back.

"What are you thinking?" He worried, pulling back enough to see her eyes.

"I'm thinking about how lucky I am," She admitted.

She could see the surprise in his face.

"What?" She teased him, "I've got everything I need right here."

His expression softened.

"Seriously," She cupped his face, "I know how difficult it is being on the run, but even as hard as it is I still have you. When I left before…everything seemed so hopeless. I was lost and alone. The one thing I really wanted, really needed, I couldn't have. So no matter what hardships we face now, we face them together and I can't even begin to tell you what a difference that makes."

"You never have to face anything alone ever again," He said earnestly, "I'm your husband and wherever you go, I go. Always."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Jane warned him.

"You can hold me any way you like," Kurt assured her.

She smiled at his teasing.

"I'm worried about Tasha," Jane admitted.

"It's going to take time," Kurt reminded her.

"I've been where she is now," Jane worried, "I want to fix it for her."

"That's another one of the things I love about you," Kurt admitted, "But you know it's not that easy."

"I'm also worried about how Reade's doing and what's going on between Roman and Patterson." Jane confessed.

Kurt smiled down at her tenderly.

"I don't know how you became so empathetic after all the hardships you've faced." He said with the admiration in his voice easy to hear.

"I guess when you've made all the mistakes I have," Jane suggested, "You start understanding difficult choices and hurting for the people that have to make them."

"I don't know how I got so lucky," Kurt said seriously.

"Some would say cursed," Jane reminded him.

"They don't know you like I do," Kurt insisted.

"They don't love me like you do," Jane rebutted.

"No," Kurt agreed, "They don't, but that's their loss."

"As long as you think so," Jane kissed him softly, "That's all that matters to me."

"I know so," Kurt leaned in and rubbed his face against her cheek before kissing her forehead.

Jane closed her eyes and held him tighter. She would never walk away from him again, but there were other ways they could lose each other. Holding him tightly against her she worried about him. She'd do whatever it took to keep him safe and with her. Whatever it took…


	18. Chapter 18

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters….

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"He did what?" Patterson asked calmly.

"Contacted Ice Cream," Tasha repeated.

"Why would he do that?" Patterson demanded.

"He said it was about the Gardner Paintings," Tasha explained.

"He doesn't have the paintings," Patterson reminded her, "So he wanted to tell Ice Cream he can't provide them?"

"He said he was trying to buy us more time."

"To…what?" Patterson insisted.

"Get the paintings."

"NO," Patterson was adamant, "That can only mean that he also contacted…"

"Me," Boston said from the doorway where he and Rich had just come in.

"RICH!" Patterson should have seen this coming.

"Calm down," Rich rushed over to her, "Calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down," Patterson said with a tick in her cheek.

"Hey," Rich interrupted her, "The good news is that Boston still has the paintings!"

"The bad news is that I'm not willing to give them up to save Rich's ass." Boston piped in.

Patterson closed her eyes and began to silently count.

"Patty?" Rich took a step back.

"You know that Madeline is looking for us," She opened her eyes to accuse him, "And you RISKED the rest of us to contact Boston, knowing that your dysfunctional relationship would only make everything worse!" She was yelling by the time she finished.

"Hey!" Boston and Rich protested in unison.

"How did you even find him?" Patterson went on.

"Nobody knows him better than I do," Rich insisted.

At Boston's raised eyebrows, Rich was adamant, "Not even Chet."

"See," Patterson gestured between the two of them, "This is what I'm talking about."

"What's got your panties in a wad?" Boston asked as he moved over to look down at their set up. "Not bad."

"Oh, I don't know," Patterson's hands were clenched, "It could be that we're being hunted by numerous people that either want us dead, thrown in prison or held in a black site…"

"Is she always this dramatic?" Boston looked over to Rich.

"Dramatic?" Patterson repeated looking toward Tasha for strength.

"Okay," Tasha tried to intervene, "Boston, if you don't hand over the paintings Rich and the rest of us will just have to keep looking over our shoulder."

"What does that have to do with me?" Boston pointed out.

"You know him pretty well," Tasha looked at Rich, "So you can probably figure out where he hid them…right?"

"Probably," Rich admitted, "But he's going to tell us."

Tasha pulled out her gun, "Then he better start talking."

"Hey!" Boston protested, "You're not going to shoot me."

"You don't know everything we've been through," Rich insisted, "Hell, I might even shoot you."  
"I'm not buying it," Boston denied.

Just then the door opened and Jane came in.

"What's he doing here?" She demanded in a hard voice.

"Rich contacted Boston about the Gardner Paintings." Patterson explained.

"Where are they?" Jane demanded.

Boston's cavalier attitude abruptly changed.

"I'm not turning them over." He said more hesitantly.

"You are one way or the other," Jane insisted as she advanced.

"Do you remember just how much these paintings are worth?" Boston hissed at Rich.

"Yeah," Rich agreed, "Our lives."

"Your life," Boston reminded him.

"Well," Rich looked over at Jane. "Ice Cream is looking for me…"

Boston got his meaning. Ice Cream was nothing compared to Jane/Remi.

"You suck," Boston hissed.

"You wish," Rich hissed back.

"Where are they?" Tasha pushed home the point.

"I hid them in a crawl space at a Bed and Breakfast just outside of Knoxville." Boston admitted.

"Was it that one we stayed at…?" Rich trailed off when he caught Patterson's glare.

"Yeah," Boston admitted, "I was there for two months."

"Alone?" Rich demanded.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Boston fired back.

"You hide priceless paintings in a public building?" Tasha said doubtfully.

"It's not exactly public," Boston denied defensively, "The old lady that runs the building isn't exactly going to be crawling through the walls."

"We need to go get them," Jane insisted.

"Road trip!" Rich was gleeful.

"No," Patterson denied, "The last thing we need is for you and Boston to go anywhere together. You draw too much attention to yourselves."

"As though I would even want to," Boston scoffed.

"Oh, you want to," Rich wasn't buying it.

"Where are Kurt and Roman?" Patterson turned to Jane.

"Kurt's still asleep and Roman is on the roof." Jane explained. Kurt had kept watch last night and Roman was just as obsessive.

"If we aren't going," Rich protested, "Who's going to get them?"

"It's not that far," Tasha noted, "I can head that way."

"You can't," Patterson reminded her, "You're contact is supposed to call you back and you're our only link to Reade right now."

"Kurt and I can go." Jane offered.

"Oh, no," Rich pointed out sarcastically, "You draw much less attention than we would."

"I'll go," Patterson ended the discussion. "I can be over there and back by tomorrow morning."

"You shouldn't go by yourself," Jane protested.

"I'll go," Roman offered as he came through the door, "Where are we going?"

Jane hesitated for a different reason. She wanted to trust Roman, but the truth was she didn't yet. Not with Patterson's life.

Patterson showed no reluctance. "A Bed and Breakfast just outside of Knoxville."

"Unexpected," Roman admitted, "Why are we going there?"

"I can take him," Boston blurted out, "I know where the paintings are hidden."

"Subtle," Rich scowled over at him.

"I take it you struck out?" Boston taunted.

"That's Jane's brother," Rich explained.

"You don't mean the," His voice dropped low, "terrorist…"

"Yeah," Rich agreed, "She only has the one."

"But I thought he was dead!" Boston protested.

"He is," Jane said in a hard voice.

"But..." Now Boston just looked confused.

"You should probably just sit this one out," Rich explained.

"Whatever," Boston huffed, "I have other places to be anyway."

"No you don't." Jane denied.

"You can't expect me to stay here…with him." Boston glared over at Rich.

"You're staying," Jane said flatly.

"Let's go," Patterson looked over at Roman.

"Are you really going to trust that they're coming back?" Boston said once the two had gone, "You know how much these paintings are worth?"

"They'll be back," Jane insisted, but turning to Tasha they shared a look of concern. They didn't even remotely care about the paintings, but Patterson was irreplaceable.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We should probably book a room," Roman told Patterson as they were driving.

"We shouldn't have to stay," She immediately protested with her uncomfortable feelings for Roman at the front of her mind.

"We do need some reason to get in," He gently reminded her.

Patterson couldn't really argue with that. Reaching for her phone she booked an online reservation.

"Looks like we got the last room," She admitted with a rueful smile.

Roman didn't say anything. She knew Rich would never have passed up the opportunity to rub something like this in.

"Did you want me to drive?" Patterson offered. She tried not to watch him too much, but she knew he wasn't sleeping.

"No," He denied, "I'm good."

"Why don't you ever sleep?" She worried without considering just how much the question exposed her weakness to him.

Roman looked over at her seriously. She half expected him to snap at her or tell her to mind her own business. At the very least simple denial, but he didn't do any of that.

"The same reason you don't," He said simply. "When I'm awake I can control what I think or do, but when I'm asleep…"

"Memories attack," Patterson finished for him.

With a shared look of understanding he turned his attention back to the road.

"I'm surprised Jane let us go," Roman admitted, "Weller definitely wouldn't have."

"We need those paintings," Patterson insisted.

"I don't doubt it," He agreed, "But in case you've missed it, they don't exactly trust me."

"They want to," She said softly.

"Well," Roman took a deep breath, "Then I guess I better do whatever it takes to get you and these paintings back ASAP."

"It'll be a piece of cake," Patterson said confidently.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This is in no way a piece of cake," Roman noted casually as he turned to where Patterson was bound to her own chair. The stew had been spiked, Patterson was just glad the little old lady hadn't accidently overdosed them.

Boston had been wrong. This little old lady was really into cleaning and she'd found the Gardner Paintings almost immediately. Now she was determined to keep them. Guess you didn't really know people.

"You can't just keep us here forever," Patterson tried to reason with her.

"I know dearie," The lady assured them, "I just need to figure out what to do with your bodies."

Her eyes flew to Roman's in alarm. He wasn't looking the least bit surprised. Somehow, Patterson found that reassuring.

"I have a flower garden out back," She explained, "But a hole big enough for the two of you would take weeks to grow back and I have a wedding scheduled here for next weekend. They'd probably expect a rebate if I put you there…"

Patterson was becoming more astounded by the second. This little old lady was not even wrestling with the idea of killing them. What was the world coming to? Had Boston set them up?

"Plus the next door neighbor saw us arrive," Roman said helpfully, "She looks like someone that would gossip."

"You're right," The elderly woman agreed with a scowl, "I've lived next to her for twenty years and she's always in my business!"

Patterson was struck mute.

"You seem pretty calm about all of this," Roman noted, "I don't suppose you've done this before?"

"What?" The woman asked, "Oh, you mean kill someone?"

"Yeah," Roman said casually.

"Well," She denied, "I haven't ever done the _deed_, but I watch TV and know what all the forensic shows look for."

_The deed?_ Patterson thought in astonishment. Had she slipped into some alternate reality where everybody in the world was evil and corrupt?

"Why do you want the painting so much?" Roman asked her curiously.

"I want to sell them," The woman admitted, "I called my nephew and he told me that the paintings were really rare."

"Did he see the paintings then?" Roman asked her.

"He came by to pick them up," She explained, "Took them to a friend of his to be appraised."

"Then he returned them?" Roman encouraged her.

"No," The lady denied, "He's keeping them safe for me."

Roman nodded.

"You don't think he sold them?" She worried.

"Maybe," Roman said thoughtfully, "You should probably call him to check."

When the woman reached for the phone Patterson realized this was going to be a long night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"They went _where_?" Kurt demanded with a clenched jaw.

"To get the Gardner Paintings," Rich explained.

"Alone?" He turned to Jane.

"They can be back by tomorrow morning," She assured him.

"You should have woken me," Kurt worried.

"Roman's going to watch out for her," Jane tried to assure him.

"I hope you're right," Kurt rubbed the back of his neck.

"I do too," Jane stepped close to Kurt and he wrapped a supporting arm around her.

"If we don't hear back from them in a couple of hours," Tasha insisted, "We'll head that way."

As the worry permeated the air, the clocked ticked slowly away the minutes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"He says he still has them," The woman said in relief as she hung up the phone.

"Well," Roman insisted, "He wouldn't exactly tell you if he didn't."

"You think he lied?" She worried.

"If they're as valuable as he said," Roman reminded her, "I would think it'd be hard to resist."

Suddenly, she picked the phone back up and started dialing.

"You need to bring the paintings back here," She said into the phone, "Because I said to. Yes, right now."

Roman listened in satisfaction as arrangements were made for the pictures to be delivered right to them. Now all they had to do was stay alive long enough to take them.

Patterson knew that Remi and Roman were masters of manipulation, but seeing him work made that knowledge real somehow. The effortless way he controlled the situation from his confinement was truly both alarming and impressive.

"You seem like such a good boy," The woman told him, her voice softening.

"I just don't want you to get sucked into the curse like we did," Roman explained.

"What curse?" She worried.

"Everyone who's held the pictures either gets killed or kills someone else. I don't blame you, this is just what happens." Roman explained.

"It's the money," The woman agreed, "Living on a fixed income at my age is difficult."

"I get it," Roman empathized, "Why don't you just sell the statue of Venus on the mantle?"

"That old thing?" The woman walked over to look at it, "How much could it be worth?"

"If there is a stamp on the bottom that's in German with a date, thousands of dollars," He explained.

"Really?" She picked up the statue with shaking hands, "It is in German!"

"Then you could have the money without the curse," Roman suggested.

"My late husband died of a curse," She admitted, her voice low.

"Did you…?" He questioned.

"Oh, no!" She actually smiled, "It was that old bat from next door. He was mowing the grass too early one weekend and she cursed him out her bedroom window. He dropped dead before sunset."

"There you go," Roman agreed, "Curses are nothing to mess with. What good is having the money if you're too dead to spend it?"

"I hadn't thought of it that way," The woman admitted thoughtfully.

"We could take the pictures away for you," Patterson offered tentatively.

"I guess that would save me from having to give that refund… plus digging a hole big enough for the both of you would be exhausting. I'm actually not as young as I look." She said. "You want some cake while we wait for my nephew to get here?"

"I love cake," Roman's smile was angelic. Patterson felt the rope fall away and wondered what alternate dimension they'd just climbed into. Nothing about any of this was even remotely normal.

"Let's have some cake," Roman offered her his arm.

She threaded her arm through his with a little shake of her head and a rueful smile. Nobody was going to believe this…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The phone rang just as they were getting ready to leave.

"Hello?" Tasha answered the first ring.

"We got the paintings," Patterson told her.

"Did you have any trouble finding them?" Tasha worried.

Patterson weighed her options, only to realize they wouldn't believe it anyway, "None, we should be back in a few hours."

"Drive carefully," Tasha worried.  
"We will," Patterson hung up the phone.

"Why didn't you tell them about the little old lady?" Roman asked her.

"They wouldn't have believed me," She insisted, "I was there and I still don't believe it!"

"She didn't really want to kill us," Roman assured her, "She just wanted the money."

"That makes it better?" She asked him. "What's going to happen when she tries to sell that statue?"

"She's going to get a lot of money," Roman said.

"What?" Patterson turned to look at him, "You were telling her the truth?"

"Of course," He insisted, "I even gave her the number of a buyer that wouldn't cheat her."

"How'd you know it was valuable?" He continued to surprise her.

"Sheppard was very thorough," Roman said with a scowl.

"I'm sorry," Patterson placed her hand on his arm.

"It saved our lives," He pointed out.

"Yes," She agreed, "But that doesn't make it okay."

"We can't rewrite the past," He brushed aside her comment casually, but secretly his heart was racing.

"We can choose our future," She reminded him.

For the first time he wondered if that could actually be true. He'd always just figured none of this was going to end well. It was dangerous to expect any other outcome. She made him want to though and that made this situation very unstable.

She could feel the ripple of muscles beneath her hand and figured she should probably move it and give him space, but before she could he reached up and place his hand over the top of hers.

Her eyes flew from his hand to his face.

"I hope that's true," He admitted.

"You could do anything," She believed that with all her heart.

As darkness turned into daylight Roman began to wonder with her help if she was right. Suddenly, he hoped so…


End file.
